Mixed
by Won'tSayI'mInLove
Summary: OCD is now a coed BOARDING SCHOOL! But before TPC can unpack their Prada suitcases, OCD's 8th graders are whisked off on an LA trip. Can TPC turn their new dorm mate into a star AND keep Massie from killing Derrington? cliqueXprivateXGossipGirlXItGirl mix
1. Chapter 1

Massie Block was staring into her closet with a look of utter confusion.

"Bean," she said to her pug, "why does everything in my closet suck?"

Bean barked twice and buried her head in Massie's fluffy purple duvet, pawing at her ears. She whined a little bit.

"I think I need to call a TPC emergency shopping trip." Massie grabbed her new Apple iPhone and said, "Alicia Rivera, speaker."

The phone began to ring. "Heyyy Massie," Alicia said once she picked up.

"Hold on, lemme get the others." Massie paused for a moment. She pressed something on her phone's touch screen and said, "Kristen Gregory."

When the blonde picked up, she tapped another button and said, "Join call."

"Um, what?" Kristen asked.

"Oops! Sorry," Massie giggled as she tapped the button again. "Join call," she repeated.

When both girls were on the line, she went to dial Dylan and Claire. Finally, she had them all on the same line. "Girls?" Massie asked. "Are you all there?"

"Yes," came their reply, at slightly different times.

"Gawd," Massie fussed. "Five-way calls are so hard on these stupid iPhones!"

"Ehmagawd, you got one?" Alicia asked. "No fair! Now my Sidekick III seems so…outdated."

"Whatevs," Massie said. "Anyway, my closet feels very dead. You know what that means…"

"SHOPPING!" the others cried.

"Um, guys? I kinda have a lot of Calculus homework," Claire mumbled.

"I have a lot of Trig homework," Kristen snapped back. "But I'm going."

"Kristen! I thought you'd be the least likely to ditch your homework!" Claire gasped.

"Who said I'm ditching? I'll work on it in the limo."

"Okay," Massie said dully. "But I think you mean on the plane."

"What are you tawking about?" Dylan asked.

"Well, I was thinking of setting up an LA shopping trip," Massie said. "But if that won't work for you guys then I guess…"

"NO!" the girls protested. "We can go!"

"Kris can help me with my homework," Claire said finally.

"Cool." Massie beamed, even though her friends couldn't see her expression. "I'll ttyl."

"Kay. Bye!" Everyone hung up.

Massie dialed Claire's home number. It rang twice before Judy, Claire's mom, picked up. "Hello?"

"Hi, Mrs. Lyons! It's Massie. Is Claire there? I want to know if she can come to this study group I'm hosting tonight. It's a three-night sleepover!"

"Oh, Massie, that is so sweet of you! I'll go get her." The sound of footsteps echoed from Massie's phone as Judy scrambled up the stairs.

"Kay. Thank you." Massie picked up her silver Tiffany pen and began drawing tight swirls on her white desk, silently admiring the purple ink.

"Hello?" Claire's voice came out on the speaker. "Massie?"

"Hi! Kuh-laire, can you come to the study group I'm hosting this weekend?" Massie beamed and ran a hand through her glossy brunette hair, watching herself in her new floor-to-ceiling mirror.

"Study group? I thought you were hosting a shopping-"

"I am," Massie hissed. "But for everyone to be allowed to go, the parents have to all think it's a study group."

"Right," Claire said. Then, in a louder voice she said, "Sure I can go! I know I'm gonna need help with my stupid Calc homework anyway."

"Perf! Meet at the Block Estate in four hours. Dress code is jeans and a warm top. No GAP. Do you hear me? No GAP! Also, warm footwear. No Keds. Sorry to ban your favorite designers, but this is supposed to be celebrity-studded and Keds and GAP simply do not scream fabulous."

"Mom took me shopping for my 4.5 GPA anyway," Claire mumbled.

"Laytah," Massie said, and hung up without waiting for a response.

She texted the rest of the Pretty Committee with the plans.

Massie had an international TPC shopping trip planned, and she just knew that nothing was going to go wrong.

She picked up her iPhone and dialed her travel agent, Alison. She had some major planning to do.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed. It was Alicia.

HOLAGURRL: MASS! 4GOT 2 TELL U.

MASSIEKUR???

HOLAGURRL: 14 NEW GIRLS

MASSIEKUR: OMG RU KIDDING?

HOLAGURRL: NO

HOLAGURRL: 3 FROM WAVERLY

HOLAGURRL: 3 FROM CONSTANCE BILLARD

HOLAGURRL: 8 FROM EASTON

HOLAGURRL: HEARD THEY WERE ALL THE POPULAR GRLS AT THEIR OLD SKOOLS. THE TOP OF THE A-LIST.

HOLAGURRL: ONE OF THEM IS A MODEL.

MASSIEKUR: SO WAT? WE R 2! (:

HOLAGURRL: TRUE TRUE…BUT SHE'S, LIKE, ONE OF THOSE AMAZINGLY CONCEITED YOU-KNOW-YOU-ENVY-ME KINDS. A TIMES-SQUARE-BILLBOARD, VOGUE-COVER, ULTRA-HIGH-FASHION, RUNWAY MODEL. NOT JUST TEEN VOGUE. THEEE VOGUE. LIKE, OUR MAJOR FASHION BIBLE!!!

HOLAGURRL: SHE'S FAMOUS! AS IN, PARTYING-WITH-PARIS-HILTON FAMOUS. I THINK HER NAME WAS LIKE KIRAN HAYES OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. IDK.

HOLAGURRL: HELLO? MASSIE? U THER?

But Massie wasn't. She had already left the conversation.

Because the infamous Massie Block had a reputation to protect.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: this is before the girls are in HS. They are all eight graders, same age as Massie and TPC. But Sabine and Reed are there too, because…well, because I said so.**

Reed Brennan stood on her toes, peering around the corner. "Where are they?"

Taylor Bell rolled her clear blue eyes. "Not here for another five minutes." She rolled her eyes and mumbled, "Like I told you five seconds ago."

"Ugh," Reed dropped back down. She sat on top of her new Louis Vuitton suitcase, which had been a Christmas gift from the girls of Billings House.

Taylor hardly looked up from her tiny book of Sudoku puzzles. "Well, maybe if you'd brought something to do while you waited, you wouldn't be so bored."

"Whatever. Like I want to spend my first hours of freedom doing…whatever Sudoku is."

"You wouldn't have had to." Taylor ran a hand through her blonde curls as she pondered one of the trickier puzzles.

Sabine DuLac smiled kindly. "Perhaps," she said in her soft French accent, "You wouldn't be so bored if you hadn't insisted on coming out here"-she paused to look at her watch-"three hours ago?"

Reed sighed and crossed her legs. Then she crossed them the other way. Then she uncrossed her legs completely and crossed her ankles. Finally, the sound of tires running over gravel reached their ears. Reed jumped up and smoothed out her white baby-doll top. She checked her dark True Religion jeans for signs of wrinkles, then beamed. The limo was coming.

The car stopped and the door was thrown open. "Finally!" a girl shouted. The infamous Noelle Lange stepped out of the car and beamed. "I'm free!" She twirled around once, her new full-length Dior coat puffing out as she spun.

"_We're_ free, you mean," came another voice. Kiran Hayes peered out from the limo, lifting her Gucci sunglasses from her eyes. Reed had no idea why she was wearing them, since it was cloudy and overcast. "Now, let's go. Rehab was absolutely no fun, and if they try to take me back there I think I'm going to shoot someone."

"Kiran!" cried out another two voices from inside. Ariana Osgood and Tiara looked out. "God, censor yourself, would you?"

"Maybe," Kiran said. "Maybe not."

"Not maybe," Noelle said coolly. "Definitely. Swearing is SO Ti's and my thing!"

"Exactly," Tiara called out, running a hand through her glossy dark blonde hair. "Now let's go before my lipgloss freezes on my face. The stupid people at the shoot put the _worst_ color on me, and I have to get it off!"

"Well, why did you let them put it on you?" Sabine asked softly.

"The choice was wear ugly lip gloss, and get thousands of dollars for my new print ad, or wear my nice Chanel lip gloss and not get paid anything." Tiara rolled her eyes.

The girls laughed and piled into the car.

"Well?" Noelle snapped at the driver when they had all their luggage loaded. "Move! This hunk of metal isn't going to drive itself."

Nobody even saw that there was a car full of Easton Academy guys following them, all the way to Westchester.

A/N: yes, Tiara is a character from PRIVATE, just like the other girls in this chappy. So don't blame me for the uber-suck name! Hee hee.


	3. Chapter 3

Callie Vernon chomped into a slice of cheese pizza. Usually she wouldn't even touch the stuff, but tonight's pizza party was for her, so she might as well eat, right?

Well, actually the party was for Tinsley Carmichael, Kara Whalen and Brett Messerschmitt, too, but she liked to pretend she didn't have to share the spotlight with anyone else.

It was their going-away party. The girls had been transferred to Octavian Country Day School For Girls, and they were celebrating it in Callie and Jenny's now mostly empty dorm room in Dumbarton.

"Hey, Cal." Verena, a ninth grader, sat next to Callie. "Why so glum?"

"I can't believe that after we got this room, the best one in this whole dorm, and we're leaving it!"

"Oh, come on. This means I get it now, and you'll always be able to come back. I'll have a spare bed and everything." Verena smiled. "It's not like I plan on sharing the room with some random nobody."

"True," Callie admitted. The she stood up and brushed some pizza crumbs off of her blue BCBGirls wraparound dress and walked away, towards the center of the party. "Hi," she said as she wriggled in next to Tinsley and Brett.

"Hi, Callie," Brett responded. "Is my hair more orange than the last time I saw you? I swear it is."

"No," Callie snapped. Brett was always worried that her punk-rock stylist would use a red-yellow dye on her instead of a red-blue.

"I swear it is." Brett lifted a chunk of her chin-length bob and inspected it. "Ugh…" She sighed crossly and sipped at her margarita glass.

Callie did a double take. Brett? Drinking alcohol? Whoa.

Seeing Callie's look of surprise, Brett released her hair and smiled. "Relax, its just Gatorade."

"Oh," Callie laughed. "I knew that."

"Of course. Just like you knew that Tinsley was organizing our transfer to OCD, not that Constance Billard school."

"Constance what?" Callie asked.

"Exactly." Tinsley laughed on Callie's other side. "OCD sounded a lot more bubbly. It also stands for obsessive-compulsive disorder, you know."

They laughed. "Wow, what a great name," Callie fake-gushed.

"I know! Sounds a lot more fun that CB, though." Tinsley giggled, her violet eyes flashing wickedly. "And it's co-ed now, too. Used to be all girls, and that's just no fun."

"Definitely," Brett and Callie said, smiling.

"So it's official? We're enrolled at OCD?" Callie asked.

"Would I have made you pack up the best room in Dumbarton if we weren't?" Tinsley asked. She stared at Callie with her freaky eyes.

"No," Callie responded softly.

"We leave tomorrow morning, Cal." Tinsley hugged her friend. "Don't worry, this is guaranteed to be fun."

000000

"It better be," Callie murmured to herself the next morning, as she closed the door to Dumbarton 301 for one last time.

She walked down the halls of Dumbarton with Tinsley and Brett on each side. Girls opened their doors and shouted their goodbyes. One freshman girl stepped forward and presented the trio with small bouquets of roses.

"A parting gift from the ladies of Dumbarton," she said. "Everyone here wishes you good luck at your new school. However much the Waverly student body will miss your presence, we wish you nothing but the best. May you find yourself at the top of the social ladder, the first names on the honor roll. There is a rose for each thing we wish for you: good fortune, luck, happiness, friends, academic success, popularity, and perfection. Don't unwrap the stems until you're at your new school. They will bring you success and good fortune, and a little surprise."

Then the whole freshman, junior, and sophomore classes cried out, "You will be welcomed back with opened arms should you decide to visit our humble dorm."

Callie remembered her freshman year. She'd been chosen to do the same speech to the graduating seniors at the end of the year. And even though she, Brett, and Tinsley all knew what was a the bottom of the tiny pile of tissue paper from being forced to make twenty of the little bundles for outgoing seniors, she still wanted to see the gift in her hands, shining with that familiar promising newness that each new day held.

Finally, hope that someone could hold in their hands. Now she knew why the outgoing seniors' rooms always had their lights on until deep into the night before they left.

They were crying.


	4. Chapter 4

Blair Waldorf sighed as she reclined into the cushy seat of her limo. Her brand-new tiny Yorkie puppy, Mochi, was curled in her lap, so she couldn't move. But she could still talk to Serena Van Der Woodsen, who was sitting next to Blair. It was the other girl who was keeping the limo in an awkward silence. Jenny Humphrey was sitting in the other side of the limo, curled up so as to take up as little space as possible. Her two pink duffle bags were nothing compared to the nine brown Ralph Lauren suitcases that Serena and Blair were sharing (four for Blair, four for Serena, and one for shoes and Mochi's clothes). Jenny was staring at the red logos printed all over the bags with a sense of longing. The only initials on _her_ bags were "JH."

"Girls? We're here." Blair's driver stopped the car and got out. He opened the door for them, holding it open as Blair carefully scooped Mochi into her new brown-and-pink canvas Juicy doggy carrier. Both Serena and Blair grabbed their matching Coach bags and got out. Jenny did her best to hide her fake Louis Vuitton purse that, until now, had always seemed really nice. But now that she could see and compare her fake to the other girls' real purses, well, it just wasn't really a contest. Her purse looked tacky and fake compared to theirs. Jenny hoped _she_ didn't look tacky and fake compared to the other girls, but she was afraid that she did.

Her dark True Religion capris-the only pair she owned- were the highlight of her somewhat sloppy-looking outfit. Her heart-shaped Tiffany lock was cute, but it was on a non-Tiffany thin silver chain. She'd thought the charm itself would be enough to add some edge to her outfit, but it just didn't compare to the Tiffany-charm-loaded bracelets on Serena and Blair's narrow wrists. She was afraid that her pale pink tank top, layered over a brown one, simply didn't match up to Serena and Blair's carefully crafted outfits. And she _knew_ her old brown Old Navy flip-flops didn't.

Serena had on a pair of light wash pre-destroyed Rock & Republic jeans, a black tank top, and caramel colored Uggs. Her blonde waves had been carefully tamed, deep conditioned, and made into looses curls. A heart-shaped tag hung off of her Tiffany bracelet. Jenny could see that there were also a few different silver Tiffany charms on it too: a Tiffany box charm, a dog, a purse, a square lock with "T & CO" engraved on it, a "B", an "S", a shopping bag, an Eiffel tower, and a tiny taxi cab.

Blair had on a Chanel destroyed denim micro-mini over a pair of black Betsey Johnson leggings. Her pink Lacoste tank top peeked out from under her blue v-neck Guess? by Marciano t-shirt. Her heart-shaped Return to Tiffany charm on her chunky Tiffany bracelet. It held the same charms as Serena's.

Every time they kissed a boy who was definitely NOT their boyfriend, they would buy two charms: one for herself, one for the other girl. Every time their boyfriends tried to scam on Blair with Serena (or vice-versa), they bought two more charms. Blair had come dangerously close to getting them another charm last night, at their going-away party.

The first time Nate tried to scam on Blair with Serena (and, unknown to Blair, had been successful), they'd bought the bracelets. The next day, Blair heard and went out. She got majorly drunk off of her parent's wine, and then had kissed slimy Chuck. (Ew!) She'd bought them the locks, as though to say, "This subject is locked." **(A/N: Ack! bad puns!!!) **This had started the whole charm-buying thing. They now had a total of nine charms on their guilt bracelets. There were five kissing charms and four cheating charms. And the two girls were almost proud of it, for some bizarre reason.

Jenny knew this, and she wished she could be so rich and exotic, to be able to treat her guilt by buying overpriced little charms for herself and her ultra-cool best friend. But with her allowance, she couldn't even afford the cab fair to get into New York City, which was where the biggest Tiffany store was.

The fabulosity would have to wait until she was on Blair and Serena's good side. Until then…


	5. Chapter 5

Massie sat down between Alicia and Dylan. Claire sat on Alicia's other side, and Kristen was next to Dylan. They were in OCD's moth-ball-scented auditorium, waiting for Principal Burns to make her stupid welcome-back-to-OCD speech. Massie could already hear the words inside her head: _Welcome, students, to the wonderful institution that is Octavian Country Day School. You are the best of the best, hand selected by our administrative staff and myself. You are part of a time-honored tradition of honor and excellence. You represent the good OCD name. Do not take this great honor lightly…_

A spotlight went on in the middle of the stage. The other lights dimmed until they were off. Principal Burns and Headmaster Adams stood there, each with their own microphone.

"Doesn't have the same ominous effect," whispered one of the Poetry Club LBR's. "Two microphones can accompany each other, but a single leaves more room for achievement yet to be filled, and piles pressure upon that single item to fill it. And it doesn't make the student superimpose themselves in the spot of the microphone."

"Just say what you mean," whispered one of her friends. "You're making my head hurt."

"They're not getting silence out of this crowd," the first girl whispered.

"Massie?" Alicia tapped her friend on the arm. "It smells like damp wood in here. Can we fix it, Mass?"

"Sure," Massie said softly. Each girl pulled out her signature scent (Massie, Chanel No.5; Alicia, Angel; Kristen, Clinique Happy; Dylan, Juicy perfume; Claire, Kimora Lee Simmons' Baby Phat Golden Goddess) and held the miniature bottles in their hands, index fingers posed on top of the nozzles, ready to spray.

Massie sprayed first. Then Alicia and Dylan, followed by Kristen and Claire. They all dropped the tiny bottles back in their bags and beamed. Massie watched with satisfaction as the LBR's greasy ponytails swung as they hunted the source of the sudden burst of fresh air. They stared at the Pretty Committee. Massie stared back as though to say, _Keep watching! We might do a trick! _(Meant sarcastically, of course.) They looked away in shame.

Massie's amber eyes were fixed on her ex, Derrick Harrington. Now that he was no longer worthy of being called Derrington, and he certainly wasn't worthy of firsty-lasty status, Massie had to grow used to just calling him Derrick. It was weird for her, not being able to get up and drop down in his lap like she normally would. She missed being the power couple of OCD. She sighed and propped up her head with her hands, her elbows perched on the armrests on either side. Her eyes caught Derrington flirting with the high school girls all too well. She wanted to text him, but she didn't have the strength. She hadn't even had enough will power to delete his number from her phone. She'd systematically copied it to her new iPhone. Massie watched him laughing and missed being right next to him, laughing along with him.

Derrington pulled out his phone and began typing away. Seconds later, Massie's phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out quietly. A text from Derrington. Her heart started racing. What was it? What would it say? Did he want to get back together, or was he texting to rub in what a good time he was having without her?

Only one way to find out. She tapped something on her phone and watched the message come out of the white animated envelope and unfold itself from a tiny square to a full-screen message. Her heart sank. All it said was:

Stop watching me. We're not together, so you don't have to worry about me cheating on you.

Massie let out a scream of rage. The Pretty Committee-and various LBR eavesdroppers-turned to stare. Face contorted with rage, Massie forwarded the message to her friends. They gasped when they read it. Soon they were sending furious messages to Derrington. Even Claire. Massie sat back and watched with satisfaction. Copies of their messages were sent to Massie's phone. Alicia's read,

_Dear scum-sucker,_

_Why would you ever be so cowardly as to text your ex something so horrible? If you have something to say, come up here and say it to our faces! I dare you._

_Hate,_

_AR_

Dylan's read:

Ya know what? Kiss my fat butt.

Kristen's read

_If you had any guts at all, you'd come up here and say that to Massie's face._

Claire's read,

_I hate you. You do not break up with the infamous Massie Block and then come to school and scam on some poor freshman girl right in front of us three months later!_

Massie's read

Loser. I hope you rot in hell for all of eternity. If you have the nerve to come up here and say that to our faces, you will regret it. We'll kick you in your scrawny little butt. How do I know you have a scrawny butt? Because you insist on showing it in public at least twice a day. Has it ever gotten through your thick skull that maybe people don't want to hurl their lunches at the soccer games? Not everyone is as bulimic as you, you know.

The girls had hit 'send' with a certain ferociousness. Massie knew that a fleet of hate messages was headed his way. She watched his expression as he opened his new messages.

"I hope he opens yours first," Alicia whispered to Massie. "Yours was pretty scornful."

"Nah, yours was really good," Massie whispered back. "The whole say-it-to-my-face thing was great."

The crowd cheered. What? Had they all received a copy of Massie's scornful text? The answer came when she saw that the first two rows had been filled with the fourteen new girls Alicia had said were coming. And they were model-beautiful, just as Alicia had said.

"Look," Alicia whispered, pointing at one girl. "She's the model."

Kiran Hayes had long, dark brown hair that tumbled down her shoulders in loose, curled waves. Her green eyes were big and piercing, her skin deeply tanned. She was tall, too. A prime candidate for the Pretty Committee.

"Rejected," Massie whispered.

"What? Why?" Alicia looked crushed. She wanted to be a model, and friendship with Kiran Hayes was her best bet at being famous.

"Too tall to share anything with us." Massie crossed her arms.

"Ohhhh," Alicia said. "Well, what about Tiara?"

From the front row, they heard Tiara (a pretty brunette with delicate features and ice-blue eyes) scream, "OH EFF!!!" at the top of her lungs.

"Or not," Alicia said. "Noelle Lange?"

"No way! You NEVER adopt the alpha! It's alpha instinct to take over a clique." Massie shook her head, her razored layers swishing.

"Well, that rules out Tinsley, Blair, and Serena," Kristen chimed in. "They were supposedly the best of the best at their schools."

"I was thinking Sabine DuLac," Massie said softly.

The other Pretty Committee members' eyes scanned the rows of gorgeous girls until they found Sabine. She was French, with clear blue eyes and straight brown hair. But her skin, dark as it was, was definitely dry and pasty.

"Ew! Of all the girls, you picked Sabine?" Dylan shook her head with disbelief as she stuffed four pieces of gum in her mouth at once, slurping back the onslaught of cotton candy flavored spit. "Disgusting."

"Look at her, K. She's perfect to re-launch Glambition on!" Massie beamed. "We put on some scented lotion, some Eau de Pretty Committee perfume, some of our home-made makeup, send her out, and BAM! Instant spot on everyone's must-have list."

"You're right! Ehmagawd, Mass, you're a genius!"

Massie nodded and winked. "Of course I am."

"Hey, genius, you'd better think of something to say to Derrick," Kristen noted.

"What? Why would I talk to that LBR?" Massie snapped.

"Because he's coming over here…" Dylan said.

"What?" Massie gasped. "No. He. Is. NAWT!"

"Yes! He! Is!" Claire shouted back. "With his cell phone, too."

"This should be good," Alicia said, rubbing her palms together.

"Define good," Massie whispered. "He looks mad…"


	6. Chapter 6

"Massie," Derrick began.

"Derrick," she said through gritted teeth.

He flinched. So she wasn't calling him Derrington. All right, then. "Would you stop being so obsessed with me?" Derrington asked innocently.

"Would you take your head out of your ass long enough to realized I'm not obsessed with you?" Massie snapped.

"This is exactly why I broke up with you," Derrick said softly. His tone was menacing, almost. But Massie glared at him, meeting his blank gaze. "You're so self-centered and appearance-obsessed."

Massie's jaw dropped. Alicia came to the rescue, snarling, "At least we act _our_ age, not _your_ IQ."

"I don't act like I'm hundreds of years old!" Derrick said, confused.

"But you do act like you're two years old," Massie said, regaining her composure. She thanked Alicia with her eyes.

"Wha-?" Derrick looked at them, the insult lost on him.

"Your IQ is two," Kristen said slowly, like she was talking to a retarded five-year-old.

Derrick opened his mouth when a hand came down on Massie's shoulder. "Problem, little ones?"

Skye Hamilton stood there, in all of her high school alpha glory. She was smiling at Derrick in a strange way. She looked friendly, but in a treacherous way. The smile was like the thin layer holding back the serious stretch-limo-sized verbal slap.

"Only one," Derrick managed, glancing at Massie dismissively.

Skye smiled blissfully. "Derrick? Would you do me a favor?"

"What?" Derrick looked up at her, confused. The phony smile was still plastered on her face.

"Crawl up your ass and die," Skye snapped at him, the smile disappearing. She glared.

His jaw dropped, but he said nothing.

"Why are you still here?" Massie chimed in. "Didn't you hear her?"

"Or did you think we wanted a live performance?" Kristen asked. "Because that's something my stomach and I could do without."

"Did you not hear me?" Skye demanded. "Crawl. Up. Your. Ass. And. Die."

Shocked, Derrick began to stumble backward. Skye smiled and waved. "Byeee!" she called out, the sunny smile plastered across her face once more. The Pretty Committee waved, too.

Derrick tripped over some tiny bump in the carpeting, landing with a thud in the middle of the aisle.

"Smooth move, buddy," someone shouted.

"Mr. Harrington," the dean growled. "To your seat, please."

Derrick blushed as he made his way to his seat. The entire auditorium broke out in applause, and someone else shouted, "Hey! At least that HUGE fall didn't kill you!"

Derrick slid down in his seat until he was invisible.

When he was gone, Massie asked Skye, "Why did you do that?"

"Alphas protect their own," Skye said softly.

Massie turned around to thank her, but Skye was already gone.

000000

"We're all in the same dorm!" Claire cried out, waving their dorm info papers around. "Look! Salir House, rooms 1337 and 1338. Third floor. All of us!"

The girls grabbed their papers. "I'm in 1337," Alicia announced.

"Us too!" Claire and Massie shouted.

"We're in 1338," Kristen and Dylan said.

"Right next door, according to Dylan's map," Kristen added. The girls high-fived like total dorks, making them all laugh.

"Let's go see our rooms," Claire said, her blue eyes glittering. She was so excited about this. There was no Todd at OCD to ruin her life: Todd had been kicked out of Briarwood because he was failing all of his classes besides Art, in which he had a C-. He was an Abner Double Day student until Headmaster Adams decided to re-admit him. And Claire was finally over Cam. He and Nikki could go on a date right in front of her, and she could care less.

Yes, life at OCD was going to be a lot sweeter.

000000

Salir House turned out to be a gorgeous brick building with ivy growing all over it. The porch was just wide enough to have a group of ten chairs centered around a bronze fire pit. Firewood was stacked against the wall. There were also loveseats among the chairs. Vanilla candles were placed along the railing, glowing softly and distracting the mosquitoes from the girls who would be sitting on the porch.

Wasp traps were hidden among the ivy and purple wisteria flowers. Gold hummingbird feeders hung on tall, thin black stakes, swinging gently on the breeze. The red liquid inside caught the light, glowing like an oversized ruby.

There was a tiny gold horseshoe hung on a nail over the dark wood double doors. It had "Salir House, Est. 2007" engraved on it in script. The doors had stained glass panels on their upper halves. The roof was made of tiny wood shingles. The roof slanted up until it came to the upper bit, which was large, rectangular, and flat. There were two chimneys, made of moss-covered brick, poking up on either side of this roof. Massie's eyes didn't fail to see the fire escape leading from the roof to a dorm room's window. She made a mental note of this before shoving open the front door of her new home.

The smell of cinnamon and other spices greeted her as soon as she stepped inside. It was warm and cozy here in the common room: fires blazed in the firplaces on either side, and oriental rugs, woven with intricate patterns of flowers, covered the glossy floors. Big, caramel-colored suede chairs were placed in the room, and large flatscreen TV's hung on each of the walls. There were empty photos, to eventually be filled up with pictures of the soon-to-come Salir House girls. Currently, they housed a few photos of donors to OCD.

The kitchen was in the back of the first floo, connected to the common room. It has four overs, gleaming black marble coutertops that were flecked with gold, a six-burner stove, four microwaves, and an industrial-sized refrigerator with a freezer below. The floors were tan tiles

Stairs were a foreign concept here in Salir. (**A/N: rhyme unintentional, I swear! I'm not THAT cheesy.) **Other than the two steps up to the porch outside, there were only elevators, with bronze doors and mirrored insides. There were numbers above the door inside. They went up from one to four. TPC's rooms were on the fourth level. The floor, Claire noted, was made of soft-looking cream colored carpet. It appeared to have been freshly vaccumed.

The halls were the same as the floor in the common room: dark, polished wood covered with blue oriental rugs with white fringe and a pretty flower pattern. The doors were made of four panels of wood, with the room numbers in gold script angling down diagonally.

1333, 1334, 1335, 1336...

Finally, room 1337. Massie smiled and took a deep breath. She hoped her new room was fabulous.

Massie threw open the door to her new room dramatically. She gasped.

The floors were bare, somewhat scratched hardwood. The walls were plain and white, and the smell of paint clung to the air. The best part of the room was the view out of the big window seats: it showed Westchester from up high, in all of its preppy perfection. She could see the park, her favorite street to shop on, and a tiny dog park where they would probably end up bringing Bean.

"Okay, we'll need a bottle of Febreeze, sixteen candles, and an area rug." Massie beamed. "We'll also need the nearest Ralph Lauren home decorating store's number, and the number of the nearest construction crew."

"Ew," Alicia said, crinkling her nose. "How are you decorating your dorm with sweaty dudes?"

"I'm not. We're joining our rooms," Massie explained. "And unless you want to install the door yourself..."

"Sweet!" Kristen pumped her fist in the air like she was doing a soccer cheer. "Now let's go see my room."

They went back out and saw the exact same thing in the room next door. There was the same view, slightly shifted to the left, and the same sucky décor. But there was a fire escape in one of the windows.

"Aw, man," Kristen moaned when she saw it. "Now if Salir catches on fire, there'll be a bunch of LBR's crowding our room to get out."

"Puh-lease," Massie said, the gears in her head turning. "What are the chances of that? Besides, it's more likely that we'll be using that to sneak in guys, or to go out for parties, or to bring in party guests."

"Sneak in guys? Mass, we're in eighth grade." Claire rolled her eyes.

"Actually, all of us but you are old enough to be ninth graders," Alicia studied Claire through squinted eyes. "Hence the difference in maturity."

Claire laughed. "I SO knew that," she said, giggling.

"Wonder who's the new girl?" Kristen asked, gesturing to a third bed in the room.

"That'd be me," a soft voice said. The voice was feminine, quiet, and had a soft French accent. "Assuming this is room 1338?"

"Yes," Massie said. "I'm Massie, and this is Alicia, Claire, Kristen, and Dylan. A and C are in my room, so you must be rooming with K and D."

"Um…yes, I believe so," the girl said. She stepped into the light. This girl had on a white short-sleeve, tie-front cropped cardigan over a strapless pink dress. She wore light pink Abercrombie flip-flops and a tiny collection of tan braided bracelets, much like Claire's old ones. "Hi, everyone. I'm Sabine DuLac."

"We know," Massie said smoothly. "We were at orientation, too. Very back row."

"Ooh, then that was you talking to the boy?" Sabine smiled. "A boyfriend of yours?"

"More like my ex," Massie said.

"So he's open, then?" Sabine's eyes went wide with hope.

"Yeah, but you do NOT wanna go there," Massie said coolly.

"Why?"

"Because Derrick is a man-whore and a jerk. He's self-centered and broke up with Massie because she didn't want to kiss him in public," Alicia snapped.

Sabine's eyes widened fearfully. "Oh, my…"

"Yeah. Don't go for him, Sabine. Just don't."

000000

Sabine had left shortly after that, mumbling something about wanting to go meet up with her other friends.

"So, I say we eliminate the LBR's from Salir, and make it like a sorority," Massie said firmly. "You know, a House Committee, which would be us, that has a historian, and a social chair, and a Salir House President, and all that!"

"We could do hazing rituals for the girls who want in," Alicia offered. "Like making them get things for us, making them do chores, all that stuff!"

"And host charity events to keep us off of the 'To Be Watched' list," Claire chimed in.

Massie snapped her fingers. "Genius!" She tapped away at her Palm Pilot, making notes. "Ah-proved!"

"As for the Undesirables, well, we can't kick them out ourselves, but we can make them want to leave." Massie's eyes flickered wickedly.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Alicia asked.

"Sabotage!" they all shouted.

"But first, we need to do these rooms," Massie said, rolling her eyes.

"Why?" Dylan looked at her friend. "Why not scheme then clean?"

"Because," Massie said. "Can we do our best plotting on the floor? Probably not. And this will have to be the best sabotage on earth to get these girls to leave the best dorm on campus."

"True," the girls admitted.

Massie clapped her hands. "So let's get started! Dylan power up your laptop! We're going to need a construction crew."


	7. Chapter 7

TPC scanned their rooms. They had yet to join them, but Massie had seen to it that their bunk beds were covered with sheets and blankets, that the walls had cute posters (couture ads blown up and tacked to the wall), and that there was a purple shag rug in her room and a pink one in Kristen and Dylan's. Vanilla candles burned in the windows, incense burned in one corner, and a vase of roses was on Massie's desk. The desks were piled with textbooks, a minifridge hummed in each corner of the room, and Claire had set up a makeshift kitchen in one corner of the room consisting of three camp stoves, a set of pots and pans, a blue minifridge beneath the table, three whisks of various sizes, a microwave, a toaster oven, and a bunch of wooden cooking spoons.

Massie had set up a corner for Bean. It had Bean's iron canopy bed, with a pink and brown Juicy Crittoure puppy pillow resting on it. There was a pair of silver dog bowls, one filled with ice water. There was also a box of dog toys. Bean was curled up in her bed, gnawing on a bright blue Sniffany & Co plushie. The box held several other plushies (a black and red Bark Jacobs shoe, a brown Chewy Vuitton purse, a pink Manolo Barknicks shoe, and several candy plushies) and tons of bones (beef, mint, chicken, or peanut butter flavored). There was also a Bean mannequin in that corner, on top of Bean's Louis Vuitton mini suitcase (it held her Ugg booties, cashmere sweaters, and twelve of her tiny scarves).

A large pot was currently being supported by all three camp stoves. In it, there was the contents of ten Ramen Insta-Noodle cups, two boxes of chicken broth, and sliced baby carrots. Off to the side, there was a plate full of mini sandwiches rolled up to look like sushi, just as Claire had seen on the private jet when she'd flown to LA to audition for Dial L. Real sushi had been ordered and was sitting on a black platter on Massie's emptied desk. She'd also set out plates, cups, napkins, forks, bowls, and was working on moving all the food to her desk. A silver tub had been filled to the brim with ice, and Massie had stuck in several bottles of IBC root beer, Canada Dry ginger ale, key lime Juice Squeeze, and Sprite. This was under Massie's desk. (The chair had been shoved off to the side. It would serve as a coat rack for now.)

Yes, TPC was ready for their first sorority meeting.

000000

Massie's eyes were scanning the list of names. It was a list of girls who had been placed in Salir.

"Ew!" Massie gasped. "Jane Newel? She got in here?" Massie crinkled her nose.

Claire leaned over to look at the girl's photo. She had out-of-control curls that were frizzy and triangular, plain brown eyes, and pale skin that was dotted with freckles and moles. She was, to top it off, totally obese. Her teeth were a yellow-orange color that was a sign of not owning a toothbrush.

"Ew. She's out," Alicia said dryly. "We'll make her scrub the bathrooms with a toothbrush."

"Ugh. Katie? And _Ashlie_?" Massie rolled her eyes. "Put them on bathroom duty, too."

Massie drew a big X across the three girls' pictures in purple Essie nail polish.

"And yet you're letting Layne stay?" Alicia asked.

"Yeah," Massie mumbled. "Kuh-laire might throw her Keds at me if I don't!"

"But we will put her on hazing, just to make sure she's worthy. You know, Claire, there is such a thing as being friends with people who aren't all in Salir. Layne could go to Boswell House, and you two could still be friends," Alicia offered.

"But Salir is the best dorm on campus," Claire argued. "And Layne deserves to live here."

"Fine," Massie said coldly. She marked the corner of Layne's picture with an H. "But she's on hazing duty."

"Fine."

"Let's see…Marion Foley? Now how did that happen?" Massie crossed off the girl. Claire knew Marion. She had flat, lifeless hair and color contacts that were _too_ blue. She knew that those two facts alone would mess with her chances. "We'll have to do something good to her…"

"How about color-coding our closets?" Dylan suggested. "I have some colors that are just SO confusing…like a yellow-ish pink sweater. Wonder where she'll put that?"

"Under yellow?" Massie guessed, and laughed cruelly. "Who else…Alexa Becks? Yech. Put her on window cleaning." Massie ran a purple X across the girl's photo. Alexa had super-short hair and uninteresting features. She was tall but much too obese.

Suddenly, everyone burst out laughing. "Ehmagawd, Strawberry? Kori?" Alicia rolled her eyes. Massie drew the X's. Then she went to her laptop and began to type. In pink Monotype Corsiva, a message was spelled out. It read:

_Dear Salir Resident,_

_You have been selected by The Pretty Committee to be an official member of Salir House and to be a part of our sorority. We invite you to room 1337 for an official sorority meeting to establish the House Committee through a silent vote. Please arrive at 7:30 PM sharp. Thank you._

_Much Love,_

_Your Pretty Committee_

_MASSIE_

_Alicia_

_Kristen_

_Dylan_

_Claire_

"There!" Massie announced, very pleased with herself. She printed out sixteen copies, and put them inside heavy envelopes. She wrote out the girls' names on the outsides and spent a few hours delivering them. She simply slipped them under the doors of the Desirables' dorm rooms (and Layne's), and left. Tonight's meeting would be fun.


	8. Chapter 8

"Girls!" Massie clapped twice. She was sitting atop a bunk bed, legs swinging over the edge. The other TPC girls were on the bed below her. "Please, silence. We have our candidates for Salir's House Committee. Running for Committee president, is me, Massie Block. We also have Noelle Lange, and Blair Waldorf. Can I have you all write the name of your preferred House Committee president on the piece of paper we handed you? Thank you."

The room was silent as every girl cast her votes. Then Massie said, "For social chair, we have Alicia Rivera, Serena Van Der Woodsen, Tiara, and Kiran Hayes. Please write the candidate's name clearly!"

Next came the vote for Historian. The candidates were Sabine DuLac, Reed Brennan, Claire Lyons, and Jenny Humphrey.

Tinsley Carmichael, Brett Messerschmitt, and Dylan Marvil were candidates for Event Organizer.

Kristen Gregory, Callie Vernon, and Ariana Osgood were candidates for Treasurer.

"Please fold your paper in half and pass it forward," Massie said once everyone's pencils had stopped moving.

The girls did so, and Massie called out, "Good! We'll announce the winners soon." And with that, TPC stood up and climbed up onto the top bunk and began to count votes. It went as following:

PRESIDENT

Massie: seven

Noelle: six

Blair: three

SOCIAL CHAIR

Alicia: six

Serena: four

Tiara: two

Kiran: four

HISTORIAN

Claire: five

Sabine: three

Reed: five

Jenny: three

EVENT ORGANIZER

Tinsley: six

Brett: four

Dylan: six

TREASURER

Kristen: ten

Callie: three

Ariana: three

"Alright," Massie whispered. "Claire and Reed are tied for Historian, and Dylan and Tinsley are tied for Event Organizer. Who are we going to vote in?"

"Who do you think?" Dylan asked coolly. She knew she was IN, just because Tinsley was an ex-alpha who would want to take over. And Reed was a known troublemaker.

"Okay," Massie responded. "I'll announce the winners?"

The girls nodded. Massie waited for them to have gotten back in place, then clapped her hands. The room fell silent.

"Wow. You guys are good at this," she joked, earning a laugh. "Anyway, the results are in! I am your newly elected President, with seven votes. Alicia is Social Chair, with six votes. Claire and Reed tied for Historian, but TPC did a tie-breaker and Claire was voted in unanimously."

"Shocker," someone muttered.

"Noelle," Massie called out. "Do you have a problem?"

"No," the girl said dryly. "Just figures you vote in your own girl instead of Glass-licker here." Noelle gave Reed a slap on the back.

Reed rolled her eyes. "_Reed_," she said crossly. "My name is _Reed_."

"Right. Reed," Noelle said.

"Moving on!" Massie said bluntly. "We had to do another tie-breaker, but Dylan is our Event Organizer. And Kristen won Treasurer with ten votes. So there you have it, girls of Salir House. Your new committee!"

The girls broke out in somewhat disappointed applause. Noelle rolled her eyes and kept her arms crossed pointedly. Reed rolled her eyes and whispered something to Noelle. Noelle started to clap, but it was half-heartedly.

"Please," Massie said, over the applause. The room grew silent again, the girls straining to hear their new president's words. "Join us for a light after-dinner snack. We have sushi, soup, sandwiches, and drinks. Eat up, girls! And welcome to the official Salir sorority. We can't wait for our first event!" Massie lifted her glass of Martinelli's sparkling apple cider and toasted. "To the new Salir sorority and the future!"

"To the Salir sorority and the future!" the crowd echoed, and everyone drank.

"This is going to be a good year," Massie said. She could feel it down to her bones.


	9. Chapter 9

Claire stood in the middle of the purple shag rug in her new dorm and looked around. The room was far too Massie-esque. She felt like she'd just moved to Westchester again and was re-living those first few months of terror, in a house that was stiff and impersonalized.

Blech.

Improvements were needed. Badly.

She started by putting up a row of four white metal hooks in her corner of the room, in the same corner as the mini-kitchen. She hung her camera on one, some jewelry on the next, a red plastic Chinese takeout box (filled with Hershey's Kisses in wrapped different colored foils) on the third, and a Betsey Johnson tote bag that Massie had bought her on the last one. Then she put pictures of her and her friends, both Florida and Westchester, on her nightstand and desk. She put her old pale blue fleece blanket on her bed, violating Massie's strict purple-pink-and-white-only rule. She began introducing new touches of blue everywhere she could: blue "Seabreeze" candles on her night table in place of a lamp (that got moved to her desk), a pad of blue sticky notes on her desk, blue letter magnets spelling out "Massie, Alicia, and Claire's Room!" on Massie's purple magnetic dry erase board. She sighed and sat back on her bed, surveying the room.

Massie burst in. "Kuh-laire!" Claire flinched. She'd forgotten that Massie would probably be furious with her. "Massie, I-" 

"Finally! You unpacked. God. I thought you were actually going to leave the room in its Massified state!" Massie laughed at her improvised word.

"Told ya," Alicia said from behind her.

"Where were you?" Claire asked, relieved that Massie seemed to like the new decor.

"Oh, there's a new Ranch 99 around the corner," Massie said airily. She and Alicia were loaded with brown paper bags, looking calm, as though they always shopped at lower-end Asian markets.

Claire fought the urge to laugh. Massie and Alicia, shopping at the grungy Ranch 99 shopping market? The image was almost too much for Claire.

"We got food!" Alicia added, and set the bags over in Claire's improvised kitchen. "See?" She tugged them down to reveal ready-made sushi, loads of strawberry Pocky, some shrimp dumplings (Massie was starting to not eat meat), and tons of seaweed-wrapped crackers.

"Um…I know what those are"-Claire pointed at the sushi, Pocky, and dumplings-"but what the heck are those?"

"No clue," Massie said, and looked at Alicia.

Alicia grabbed Massie's bag, which had little packets of seaweed and small rolls with cheddar cheese baked into them. She unloaded those too before explaining, "Those are crackers, sort of. They're wrapped in nori."

"And nori is…?" Massie asked.

"Nori is the Japanese word for seaweed." Alicia rolled her eyes. "Am I the only one who signed up for Japanese?"

"Yes," Massie and Claire said at the same time.

"The rest of us were in French or Spanish, like _normal_ people," Massie said, smirking.

"Oh, yeah. You're _reeeeeaaal_ normal," Alicia shot back, drawing out "real."

"Yup," Claire and Massie said back.

"Well, I am," Claire corrected herself. "I don't know about you guys…"

"Shut up!" Alicia cried automatically, shaking her head like there was a fly in her hair.

"Kuh-laire! That was so mean, and totally…un-Claire-ish." Massie's eyes shone wickedly.

Claire panicked for a moment. Was that too much? She'd heard the things they tossed at each other, and hadn't thought her comment was _too_ bad, but…

Then Massie broke out in a smile. "I love it."

Claire exhaled in relief, her white-blonde side bangs blowing up. "God, you scared me!"

"Mmhm. I believe that was the point." Massie nodded and got up. She stalked off into the bathroom, where she dropped down on the pink-cushioned bench and began to unpack a black Coach makeup case. "Kuh-laire? Leesh? Get your butts in here! I'm not unpacking alone!"

Claire looked at Alicia before she got up. "I don't get it. Did I piss her off or not?"

Alicia shrugged, and walked off to join Massie.

Claire sighed, and her bangs flew up again. Claire smoothed her hair before joining them.

"Hey! Don't you dare throw out my GAP lipgloss! MASSIE!" Claire stomped her foot.

"Point one for Massie!" Alicia drew an invisible number one.

"Kuh-laire, we need to take you shopping ay-sap if you panic _that much_ over GAP gloss."

"Point two for Massie!" She drew a two in the air.

"MASSIE! They don't make that color anymore!" Claire shouted at her friend, staring at the trash wistfully.

"Point one for Kuh-laire." Alicia drew another one.

"And they shouldn't. It was absolute eye-poison."

"Point three for Massie!"

"Still…"

"Kuh-laire, build a bridge-"

"And get over it. I know, I know."

"Point four for Massie! She wins, with a four-three advantage!"

"Don't I always win?"

"Point five! Kuh-laire has been Massie-kurred!"

"Okay, Leesh, that was lamer that Kuh-laire's GAP lipgloss."

**A/N: Eep! Suck-tastic ending…sorry. -.- My ending was lamer than Massie's diss AND Kuh-laire's lip gloss all rolled into one huge ball of sucktasticality! Okay, I'm just making it worse. I'll shut up now. PS, a hidden significance: TPC was supposed to make the newbies unpack their room as part of the hazing! They're slacking off…**


	10. Chapter 10

Massie sat on her cashmere-covered bed, eyes shut. There was soft music playing in the background, her legs were crossed, and it was perfectly-

BAM, BAM, BAM!

-noisy. She opened her eyes and stretched out her legs. Yawning lazily, she turned to glare at the four construction workers who were trying to join her room to the other girls'.

"Could you guys come back after yoga hour?" she asked, eyes narrowed angrily. She shut off the music.

"And when is that?" one of the workers snapped at her.

"At five o'clock. And if you do not finish this in a week, consider yourselves fired." Massie glared harder, cranking up her iPod.

"_I'm Ms. Bad Media Karma,  
__another day, another drama.  
__Guess I can't see the harm  
__in workin' and being a mama.  
__And with a kid on my arm  
__I'm still an exception.  
__  
__You want a piece of me?  
__I'm Mrs. You-Want-a-Piece-of-Me.  
__Tryin' to piss me off?  
__Well, get in line with the paparazzi.  
__Yeah, they're flippin' me off  
__hopin' I'll do some havoc  
__and upsetting in court.  
__Now, are you sure you want a piece of me?_"

They rolled their eyes at her, and she turned it even louder.

"_**I'm Mrs. Lifestyles-of-the-Rich-and-Famous  
**__**You want a piece of me?  
**__**Mrs. Oh-My-God-that-Britney-is-Shameless  
**__**You want a piece of me?  
**__**I'm Mrs. She's-Too-Big-now-She's-Too-Thin.  
**__**You want a piece of me?**_"

Massie smirked as they walked back over to the other girls' side of the room. In the context of the day, this minor victory was a huge one.

Girls had whispered "Fixed" at her back, Allie-Rose had informed her that Noelle had the same Marc By Marc Jacobs leather heels that Massie was wearing but in a better color, her hair was flying wildly, Derrington wouldn't even look at her, and she'd stepped in gum on her way over to Salir. Her brand-new heels were covered in gum that was far worse than the Nina Incident.

She sighed and speed-dialed the girls. "We need a sorority meeting. Tonight. I'm sending out the email, and you're on your way."

"Uh, Mass? It's the middle of seventh period. Where are you?" Alicia whispered.

"The dorm. It was an emergency. I was not born to run the mile, I'm sorry," Massie said. "Now, come."

"Fine," Kristen sighed. "You're paying my tuition if I get in trouble and loose my scholarship."

"Kay," Massie said, and sighed impatiently. "Done…"

"Done," Dylan said.

"Done," Kristen agreed.

"Done," Claire mumbled.

"And done," Alicia finished. "What's my excuse? I already used toothache. And barfing-"

"EW! Leesh, don't tell if I didn't ask." Massie rolled her eyes.

"Point. But what's my excuse?"

"Bad sushi," they all said at once.

"Food poisoning," Massie decided.

"Stomach ache," Claire added.

"Fever," Dylan piped up.

"All of the above," Kristen intoned, before she hung up.

"See you soon," Claire promised before hanging up.

"Bye," Dylan said.

"Laytah," Alicia mumbled. Just before the line died, Massie heard her friend moan. "Teacher, my stomach hurts. I think it was the sushi last night…"

Massie laughed quietly. Alicia was the best actress in the eighth grade. Claire could mould her teachers like putty. Dylan could gross her way out of class. Kristen could debate out. And Massie could just skip.

TPC was still in control.

000000

"What's the emergency?" Alicia asked, eyes wide as she burst in to the room. She crinkled her nose. "Ew, sweaty dudes!"

Massie laughed. "They're joining our rooms. Be nice."

Claire rolled her eyes. "That's a word in your vocabulary? Nice?"

"Yes. We just use it very sparingly," Massie said, smirking.

Claire rolled her eyes.

"What's the big rush?" Kristen growled. "I'm risking my scholarship here!"

"I have big news," Massie gushed. She explained to them about how the other girls seemed to be taking over the school with their lies. "…And to top it all of, Allie-Rose Singer said Noelle's shoes are better than mine!"

"No," Claire gasped, in mock-horror. "Not the shoes!"

Massie lifted her face from her hands and glowered. She opened her mouth to reply but was cut off by some LBR the loudspeaker.

"Um, would all eighth grade students please report to the Auditorium? There is an important announcement from the Principals. Thank you."

"Well? Let's go!" Massie stood up, suddenly recovered, and slid on a new pair of Juicy Couture pink leather kitten heels she'd been saving for next week's sorority meeting. Going to this is last season's heels would be social suicide, after all.

000000

Massie and TPC slid into the center box on the highest level and beamed down at the others below her.

"It's so archaic how they separate us," Alicia said, looking down at the guys' section wistfully.

"You mean girls from guys?" Dylan asked.

"Yeah. I mean, what are we going to do? Do _it_ while they're announcing the lunch special?" Alicia rolled her eyes.

"Well, you might," Kristen teased, smirking.

Alicia rolled hey eyes, but before she could respond, Principal Burns tapped on the microphone and asked, "Can I have your attention, please?"

"Awwww, awwwww," someone shouted from the audience.

The girls giggled, and the guys half-laughed, although it was clear they didn't get it.

"I am pleased to announce that OCD and Briarwood will now be taking their trip to LA this month. The entire eighth grade class is invited, boys and girls. We will be touring LA, San Francisco, and various missions that are near those cities." Principal Burns' small, beady eyes glittered with pride. "It will be a beautiful trip. So rich in history, in class!"

By that point, nobody was listening to her any more. LA! San Francisco! Wow. LA had celebrities, clubs, shopping, and everything else you could want or need. San Francisco had shopping, delicious food, and delicious guys. Massie was already debating which of her Juicy strapless dresses looked better on her and whether or not her Chloe chiffon wrap dress would crinkle in her suitcase.

Slyly, TPC exchanged glances. They all stood slowly and slipped off to their rooms. TPC had a new mission.

000000

Massie stood up from her spot on the edge of the bed. "Dylan, that dress isn't good for California weather. You know that! Cali is all sunshine and heat, and long sleeves in the middle of the summer is basically signing your death wish."

Dylan threw her Diane von Furstenberg dress into the ever-expanding pile of rejected clothes. "Done."

Massie smiled. "My turn," she announced, and heaved her six empty Juicy Couture canvas puppy-print duffle bags onto her bed. "Ta-da!"

She unzipped the first one and walked over to her closet, throwing it open. She pulled out a pair of brown Coach tennis shoes. "Yes?"

They nodded.

"Definitely," Claire called down from their perch on the top bunk.

Dylan climbed up and looked down. "Agreed."

"Okay, how about these?" Massie whipped out a pair of black Chloe stiletto slouchy leather ankle boots.

"Trés chic! Excellent for clubs," Alicia piped up.

Massie stuck them into a shoebox and put the whole thing into her bag. "These are delicate."

So it went with a pair of silver ballet flats (approved), a pair of four-inch spike heels in black (rejected), a pair of Lacoste flip flops in blue but striped with white (approved), and countless pairs of Louis heels and Coach flats (mostly approved).

Then she pulled out her newest dress. It had a Greek Goddess feeling to it, with its blue silk and the blue chiffon layered over it. The straps were braided chiffon, it had an empire waist, and it fell to around her knees. Made by Chanel, it was one of her favorites.

"Whoa," Claire breathed. "That's gorgeous."

It was agreed unanimously that the dress was to be taken with them, but it was to be open for all of them to wear. Although Massie was somewhat against this, she realized it wouldn't look as good on her friends as it would her, so she agreed.

She went through all ten pairs of Juicy sweats (jackets approved, pants denied), her entire PJ drawer, her jeans, her shirts, her skirts, and every single dress that was worthy of even thinking about.

"Now BEAN!" Alicia cheered, laughing. She hopped down and walked over to paw through the dog's various cashmere sweaters and Ugg booties. "Ah-dorable!" Alicia gasped, holding up a black cashmere sweater with pink and blue argyle.

When Massie was done typing up their list, it looked something like this:

-six pairs of cute, matching PJ's (top and bottom)

-twelve t-shirts (must be cute) (Kuh-laire if you throw in a turtle neck we will kill you and burn the sweater. I swear.)

-thirteen tank tops, for layering

-nine pairs of knee-high socks

-ten pairs of ankle socks

-eight purses, all high-end couture

-twelve skirts

-nine pairs of normal jeans

-three pairs of skinny jeans

-4 bottles of nail polish

-nail files

-signature perfume

-cell phones/ chargers

-all portable sized electronics (Palm Pilot, phones, alarm clocks, iPods and speakers, and all chargers)

-limitless shoes (1 entire suitcase per girl)

-jewelry (one necklace per day, with a matching bracelet ) (optional, and we share all jewelry aside from my bracelet)

And for Bean, packed away in a Juicy minitrunk that looked like a doll's wardrobe, there was:

-seven cashmere sweaters

-six cotton Chanel t-shirts

-pink ruffle bikini (also blue and yellow ones)

-puppy Uggs in beige, caramel, and black

-Tiffany & Co bracelet (used as a collar) (Engraved with "BEAN" and, under that, "Massie Block 555-9586" in script)

-alternate collar: black suede with Swavorski crystals in groups meant to look like tiny paws

-various toys & treats

"So, girls, do you know what happens next?" Massie grinned at her friends.

"Call the boys?" Alicia asked.

"Um, hello? Boy-fast here, remember?" Massie crossed her arms.

"Um, plotting?" Kristen tried. That was usually the answer to everything.

"Nope," Massie's grin became devilish.

"Uh, sorority meeting?" Claire offered.

Massie's jaw dropped. "Ehmagawd! Kuh-laire beat you guys to it!"

"What? That's it?" Dylan screeched. "She got it before we did?"

Massie clapped. "Good girl, Claire. You're learning."

Claire bowed, laughing so hard she nearly fell over.

"Now that we have established that Kuh-laire is not in Orlando anymore, can we move on? I wanna know what we're calling the meeting for!" Kristen jumped down and crossed her arms. Claire slipped one leg over the edge of the bunk bed until her foot found its way to one of the beams holding up the upper bed. She tucked her foot in it and half-fell out of the bed. Dylan went down the ladder and came to stand in the circle.

"Well." Massie paused and leaned in, like this was confidential gossip. "I think I'll text it to you guys. Alicia, you're up first."

Massie pressed some buttons on her iPhone's screen and waited. "There," she said. "You got it?"

Alicia shook her head.

Massie groaned and hit "Send" once more. "Now?"

"No."

"Oh, I give up!" Massie leaned out of the huddle and went to sit on her bed. The others followed, naturally. "I was thinking… what if Salir organized its own party? We can get our own big suite and have it all decked out for the party, and we can play music and order room service and all that stuff. It would be so fun!"

"Ehmagawd!" Alicia gasped.

"That's so cool!" Kristen enthused, smiling.

"Sounds like fun," Dylan piped up.

"Guys? What if we get caught?" Claire bit her already-nibbled nails and looked at them.

"Puh-lease! We never get caught," Massie snapped.

"Lake Placid? Expulsions? Is that not being caught?" Claire reminded them.

"No," Massie said with a toothy grin. "That's Mr. Myner being a butthead. And since he got fired for traumatizing a student"-Massie paused to grin at Dylan quickly-"he's not gonna be there."

Claire sighed. "Fine."

And so, they sent out the invitations to their second sorority meeting, perfectly and blissfully aware that a certain undesirable was running around, whispering what she had just seen on her tiny, glowing cell phone screen.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Ha, like I'd leave you with a cliffy! I learned my lesson when Maddi almost bit my head off after one of my Nobody Told Me chaps ended in a cliffy and I sorta forgot to update… Anyway, R & R!**

"No way," whispered Meena. She shook her head like there was annoying fly buzzing around it.

"Yes way," Jane Newel insisted, pushing her freshly-straightened hair out of her eyes in irritation. Not ever a flatiron could keep her hair straight and under control for more than three minutes! She doubted even a straight jacket could do the job.

She was much different than her tragic Yearbook picture. She managed to somewhat tame her formerly frizzy curls, and to lose almost thirty pounds. She wore much better clothes, courtesy of her new personal shopped, and even had a pink Juicy Couture Swavorksi crystal-covered Sidekick.

"A secret party? Claire?" Heather butted in. "Are you sure?"

Jane nodded and whipped out her new pink Sidekick. "See?" She showed them the text Massie had unknowingly sent Jane. "Told you."

Desirables of Salir House- 

**You are invited to a Secret Party hosted by TPC in Suite 117 of the Ritz-Carlton in LA. Dress code is fabulous and over-the-top, and definitely heart attack-inducing. There will be guys present! Party starts at 10:00 PM and goes until the last person passes out. See ya!**

**Love,**

**Your Pretty Committee**

Meena's jaw dropped. "How _dare_ she?"

"That little…aaaarg!" Heather scrunched up her face.

"Wait until Layne hears this one! She's gonna be so mad!" Meena scowled and got up, slamming her book shut and storming out of the library.

Jane smiled wickedly as she watched them go. One down, four to go.

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Jane smiled adorably as she bounded over to Derrick. "Hey, you," she whispered, falling into step with him as he headed towards the library.

He walked faster.

Jane sighed and sped up too, after stopping briefly.

"What's the matter?" she teased, clutching her books a little tighter. She held them in stretched-out arms that held the books close to her body.

"I have girlfriend," he finally said, rolling his eyes. He hardly knew if he could call Massie that anymore, but it was a habit and besides, this girl was pretty cute.

"Really?" Jane gasped, eyes wide and innocent. "I thought you would have broken up after the news of her secret party got slipped."

"It has nothing to do with Skye's costume party, I just- wait, what?" Derrick stopped walking.

"Didn't you hear?" Jane gasped, faking shock. "Look."

She pulled up the message and showed it to him. "See?"

His face turned red as he scanned the message over and over again.

"Hey, watch it! Don't break my baby!" she squealed when he snapped her phone shut angrily. She snatched back her precious Sidekick and hugged it to her chest, dropping her books.

He stormed off, fuming.

Secretly, she smiled to herself.

"Two down," she muttered to herself. "Only three to go."

And only one person who heard.

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Alicia paced around outside her room, wondering how to tell Massie what she'd heard that girl saying on the quad.

"Two down…three to go…" 

The words repeated in her mind like a sucky pop song. To tell or not to tell? Definitely to tell, but how?

As she was debating this, Derrick came shooting out of Massie's room, followed by several large pillows that smacked the window across the hall.

"AND STAY OUT!" Alicia could hear Massie screaming. Derrick took a last look back at her open door before rolling his eyes and getting into the elevator.

"Massie?" Alicia went into her room, eyes wide.

Massie was facing the window, sitting on the window seat with her legs dangling over the edge.

Alicia took a timid step towards Massie. She held out the pillows to her friend. "Mass?"

Massie turned to Alicia, and the difference from this afternoon was shocking. No longer perfect, Massie had streams of black eyeliner down her face. Her mouth was turned down at the corners, her eyes were sad, her skin so pale that the rosy dots of blush stood out like Sharpie. She looked like a melted painting.

But her voice was still strong.

"Tell me," she said, sounding perfectly normal. "Are all guys such losers? Do they really think they can get away with yelling at us? Are they all so horrible, and emotionless, and cruel?" Her voice grew even more hysterical as she spoke, but she kept going. "And do they really believe that they can say whatever they want, and that it won't hurt? That they can leave us somewhere, and nobody will think 'Oh, there's that sad girl sitting there again, just waiting for him' and try not to laugh as they pass us? _Do_ they?"

Alicia dropped the pillows and sat next to her friend. "Aw, Mass, of course not."

"Then did I just pick a sucky guy?" Massie's eye welled up again, even as her voice calmed down.

"Oh, Massie. You didn't pick a sucky guy, a sucky guy picked you." Alicia sighed softly, deciding in the back of her mind that now was not the time to spill.

"That's not better!" she wailed, and buried her face in her hands.

"Shhhhh," Alicia soothed. "Of course it is. It's better to know that you're loved by everyone, and that you're nice enough to give one loser a chance. And if it doesn't work out with that particular loser, well, who expected it to?"

Massie sniffled.

"Me."

**A/N: Awww, poor Massie! Derrington is such a butthead…(I overuse that word…)**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I am so sorry I haven't updated this in awhile… I tend to forget about my old stories, like how I neglect "Preps," my first fanfic. I'm sorry, I just kinda forget how I wanted it to go and…well, newer and more interesting things pop up, I guess. Sorry. Also, I called Barnes & Noble and asked if they had Bratfest at Tiffany's in stock, and they said yes. I drove all the way to Walnut Creek to get to the store, and (go figure!) the employee thought I was asking for Breakfast at Tiffany's, and that I had horrible pronunciation/ spelling skills. (I spelled it out, in hopes of avoiding what happened anyway.) –sob- So, I didn't get the book! –cries harder- Now, with that depressing thought out of the way, here's the 12****th**** chap! Enjoy!**

Massie smiled softly as she looked around the room. They were packed into Massie, Alicia, and Claire's room, since the other was under construction. Candles flickered in the windows, filling the room with the sweet scent of vanilla and cinnamon. Claire had snuck a small pink TokiDoki cactus-dog hybrid thing onto the window near her bed, which Massie pretended not to notice. She tolerated it because TokiDoki was designer, and a huge jump from Claire's GAP days.

"Well, Massie?" Noelle sighed impatiently and put down her champagne flute, which was filled with Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Cider (no alcohol until age 21!), and glared. She was secretly tugging at the hem of her black strapless Miu Miu minidress and cursing her white Chanel baby-doll jacket for not being warmer, as the windows were open. "What's this about?"

"Yeah. We already know about the trip, if that's what this is about." Kiran chugged from her glass and poured herself a little more, splashing some on her brown wrap dress. "Whoops!" she said, somewhat tipsily.

"Duh," Massie said. "This is actually about what we're doing on the trip." Massie sipped from her delicate glass and sighed.

"Which is what?" Ariana asked, arranging her brown off-the-shoulder Juicy Couture sweater so it hung perfectly from her narrow shoulders. "Something gay? If it is, leave me out of it! I'm straight."

"Noooo, I don't swing that way," Massie said, tossing in a playful laugh.

"Another lame party?" Tiara growled, not liking taking second at this school. She was the only girl who wasn't fussing with her outfit: her simple black ballet-neck Marc by Marc Jacobs cable knit minidress fit her perfectly.

"No," Massie said, growing serious. "It won't be lame."

And with those words, she left them.

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"So, when do we tell them?" Alicia asked Massie, her brown eyes wide. She pushed back her glossy hair, securing her bangs to the top of her head with a black Chanel barrette that matched her black Chanel t-shirt dress.

Claire smiled shyly, tugging at the Ed Hardy black minidress that Massie had forced on her (it had a tiger head on it in rhinestones. So cute!). "People are getting anxious."

"Soon," Massie said, smiling calmly. Secretly she was cursing herself for giving Claire outfit advise: the Florida girl looked better in her minidress than Massie did in her blue TokiDoki hoodie and denim mini. The outfit, Massie now realized, was way to summer for the cold springtime air. (**A/N: See my profile for the link to see the character, and Claire's minidress, and other outfits**)

"Better be," Kristen replied, crossing her arms to keep herself warm. "I heard Tinsley, Callie, and Brett talking about leaving. And, it's cold." She glared at the open windows.

Massie mumbled something under her breath. "Well," she said, more loudly. "Who told you to wear my green Ella Moss tank dress? Everyone knows those things are paper thin."

Kristen glared harder, her aqua eyes made even more intense by the black MAC eyeliner she wore.

"I suppose we should go now then, huh?" Massie smiled brightly in response to Kristen's icy glare, making them laugh.

With that, she got up and let the way to the window seat. She stood up on it and cleared her throat, raising her glass.

"Attention, please?" The room fell silent, and Massie smiled. "See? Told ya, you're getting good at this."

There was appreciative laughter from the girls, and Massie beamed at the attention.

"As you know," she continued. "The eighth grade is going on a field trip to LA."

"No duh," Tinsley snapped.

"So," Massie said loudly, glaring at Tinsley. "We're hosting a party. We're going to get our own huge room and host a boy-girl party up there. Theme is dressy-chic and heart attack-inducing, as the invitation that we sent you says."

The room filled with the sound of the girls pulling out their phones and buttons being clicked. Slowly, they realized they had all received copies of the same text. A happy murmur went around the room, making Massie smile with pride. The other TPC girls crossed their arms and beamed. Claire smiled at Layne, who had snuck in with Meena and Heather at the last minute.

"Sweet," Tinsley said in an exaggeratedly happy voice, trying not to roll her eyes. "A parent-chaperoned party!"

"No teachers, no parents," Massie said, pretending she wasn't offended. "Just the Salir girls and the boys."

"Fun," Tinsley said, sarcastically and somewhat bitterly. Why hadn't _she_ thought of hosting a party like that? The worst she had planned was skipping out on Principal Burns' educational tours for shopping. A secret, ultra-exclusive sorority party definitely beat that.

"Totally," Callie agreed absently.

"_So_ fun," Brett mumbled. Her mind was racing. The only guy she wanted to see there didn't even know about the trip. So, the question was, how would she get the Waverly and St. Lucius guys over?

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"I wonder," Tiara said aloud. "What would little baby Massie do if we invited our own friends?"

Reed shrugged, popping a sushi roll into her mouth. Who cared?

"Have a spasm?" Noelle suggested.

"Kill herself?" Kiran added.

"All of the above," Taylor decided.

"I like 'em all. Let's get the guys at the party, and then the others will see just how tough their little leader really is." Tiara smiled wickedly, her eyes flashing.

"Let the war begin," Noelle declared.

"Sweetie, you're a little late." Tiara laughed delicately, like the debutante she truly was. "The war has already begun."

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"Should we invite some people, too?" Blair wondered innocently. She blinked her huge eyes, staring up at her friend. "I mean, the guys. You know the guys here are so…" She scrunched up her face. "Anyway, I think having some other people come would be…interesting."

"Like who?" Serena tipped back a champagne flute of Sparkling Apple Cider. "Nate?"

"Duh," Blair said. "And Chuck. And Dan. And Eric."

"Ew…drop Chuck…" Serena crinkled her nose, touching the tiny silver lock on her bracelet. She shivered.

Blair smirked. "What? Did Miss Innocent have a bad run-in?" she teased, smiling playfully. Of course, she already knew the details. They'd spilled everything to each other, because that was just the way that best friends were.

"Oh, it was nothing compared to your _two_ run-ins," Serena replied, laughing.

Blair turned pale before she saw the humor in that. "Yeah? I guess that's just how it is."

"How it used to be, you mean," Serena reminded her. "_IT_ isn't coming to OCD."

"You mean he?"

"No. It."

A/N: LOL, Chuck is an IT! I knew that was gonna happen, but that might be because I'm the one writing this fic. (:

**Oh, and a shoutout to my beta-reader, Mokona-dono. Send me some stuff, Moko-chan, cuz you're gonna get flamed **_**so bad**_** if you don't update soon!**

**BTW-my newest fave song is "Picture to burn" by Taylor Swift. I love it! I haven't actually heard it, but just look at this:**

"**So go and tell your friends I'm obsessive and crazy.  
That's fine; I'll tell mine you're gay."**

**Best song quote ever. Seriously. And, later in the song…**

"**And if you come around here saying sorry to me,  
my daddy's gonna show you how sorry you'll be.**

**If you're missin' me  
you'd better keep it to yourself.  
'Cause coming back around here  
would be bad for your health."**

**Taylor, you are my HERO!**

**Sorry for the super-long author's note. I have a lot to say, and I **_**know**_** you don't read my profile. (: (Although you should. I changed it!)**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Lucky chapter number thirteen! I'll make this one long, I promise, because I don't think I've updated this fic in a while… I fixed some things in this chap, and added some stuff, so read it again! Oh yeah, and Massie's iPod is the NEW nano, the one that can play video.**

Massie surveyed her now-empty closet with mild satisfaction. It was mostly cleaned out, because the Pretty Committee had packed up their suitcases, prepping for the big trip. Massie herself had six Louis Vuitton trunks, all the signature color and plastered with the LV logo. She also had a new black-and-pink TokiDoki bag slung over her shoulder, filled with her new iPhone, her pink iPod nano, her pink sidekick, her black Louis Vuitton wallet, and three Nutz Over Chocolate Luna bars. She wore a dark blue tank dress with a big navy blue bow in the middle of the v-neck. She'd paired it with navy blue flats that had black ribbon around the inside edge and a little bow.

Outside, the sun was setting and the sky was painted in rich pinks, purples, light blues, and reds. Her amber eyes took in the view and it made her smile. Such a perfect sunset, and soon she'd be flying into it, towards LA.

Yes, she was ready for the trip.

She got up and grabbed her bags, wheeling them out of the room. She sighed as she used the rhinestone-covered key to lock her room behind her. She sighed softly. When she came back from California, her room would be done. She'd come back, freshly tanned and better than ever, and rule her school like always. It was always the same, and it always would be…right?

Having four new alphas here didn't change anything, right?

Right.

000000

Massie waltzed into the common room of Salir House like the true alpha queen she was. She smiled at TPC, who was curled up in the chairs near the open window. The warm summer breeze lifted the curtains lightly, making her smile.

Claire glanced up. "Hi, Massie," she said. "Ready to go?"

Her white-blonde hair was blowing in the breeze like the curtains, and her blue eyes were sparkling. She wore denim knee-length capris and a white baby doll tank top, with white Ralph Lauren platform flip flops. Her old bracelets from her Florida friends were wrapped around her tiny wrists and a pair of sunglasses rested atop her hair. She looked like the epitome of a Florida summer girl.

Too bad she lives in Westchester…

Alicia wore a dark pink baby doll cami with a lighter pink floral design on it, with a pair of denim micro short-shorts underneath. She wore black flip flops with the outfit, her glossy black hair freshly blown out. She had a silver Ed Hardy dog tag necklace on her neck, the long chain dangling to her stomach.

Kristen wore denim shorts, a black-and-grey striped Ella Moss tank top and a brown Juicy sweat jacket. She also wore black flip flops, although they had less platform than Alicia's did. Her blonde hair was pulled up into an athletic-looking ponytail.

Dylan's new hip-length hair was loose, with a black Chanel bobby pin holding back her long side bags. Her French manicured toes peeked out of her white eyelet cork-heel wedges. She wore a white Juicy Couture tube dress with blue embroidery on the top. The tiny sequins sewn into the center of each tiny flower glittered in the light as she turned to face Massie, her green eyes glittering.

"Oh, this is gonna be so fun," Dylan said, her face lit up. "I mean, two weeks in California? Wow. It's gonna be great!"

"Duh," Alicia said, twirling her engraved dog tags.

"I know! Even my parents admitted it will be fun," Kristen said, her blue eyes shining. "I told them it was educational, and they thought that was great. I could barely keep them from wanting to come with us."

"How'd you get them to stay behind?" Claire asked.

"I told them it was all 'educational' and that they'd probably be 'bored by all the tours' and wouldn't want to come. I suggested we go as a family over the summer, and they're all for it."

"K, the closest thing to education you'll be getting is what the hottest clubs in LA are," Massie said, rolling her eyes. "Maybe a who's-who tour of the names outside Kodak Theatre, but that's about it."

Kristen rolled her eyes. "Um, hello. I know that. It's a matter of whether or not my parents do."

They laughed.

"Maybe we'll see Abby again," Claire said, grinning.

"I'd rather see Hadley. Abby was absolutely crazy," Alicia said, laughing. "How many times can you steal a girl's boyfriend?"

"A lot," Claire said, somewhat bitterly thinking about Olivia and Cam's short-lived fling.

"Bitterness is bad for your pores," Dylan scolded.

"No, Dyl, that's bitter _acids_ in your facials," Kristen said. "Bitterness is bad for your mood, which is related to how you break out. Stress, and all that."

"Whatevs," Dylan said, rolling her eyes in irritation. "At least you're going like a normal person this time."

Kristen turned pink, remembering when she'd skipped out on the last OCD/ Briarwood school trip because her parents wouldn't pay. "Yeah, well, I'm going this time."

"Kay," Alicia said, eager to prevent the fight. "We should go. I mean, Dean texted me, and he's waiting outside."

"Kay," Massie said. "Let's go, I don't want to be on the bus with those LBRs."

"Hey! Some of those LBRs are my friends," Claire said, watching Layne skip out into the quad wearing black man-pants and a pink Hello Kitty t-shirt.

"Uh-huh," Massie said, not even listening. "Of course."

"Let's go," Alicia suggested, flipping her phone shut.

The girls picked up their suitcases, eyes glittering and hair blowing in the wind.

Somehow, Massie doubted that LA was ready.

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"What do you mean, Dean can't drive us?" Alicia asked. "He's right here."

"No, Miss Rivera, I mean he's not allowed to," Principal Burn frowned at her, her beady eyes cloudier than usual.

"Well, why nawt?" Alicia demanded. Her suitcases were already loaded, and Dean was waiting patiently to take them to the Westchester Airport.

"Because part of the trip is that we are driven everywhere in a one group, in a bus, together," Principal Burns said.

"But the bus is so…bus-y." Alicia crinkled her nose, frowning. "Ew."

Principal Burns frowned at her. "Well, if you don't get on the bus _right now_, you will have to go inside that bus and explain to the entire school that the trip was cancelled so…"

"Fine," Alicia snapped, eyes flashing angrily. "Dean! Unload, we've gotta take the smelly old bus."

The other TPC girls rolled their eyes, except for Claire, who seemed unfazed. She'd always had to ride the bus, so she was used to it. But the other girls had never had to give up their cushy chauffeured cars for a bus, even a luxury travel one like what was parked in front of Alicia's limo.

The trip, which TPC had looked forward to so much, was already starting badly.

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Massie sighed and whacked her head against the cold glass window, frowning. "Well, we're almost there."

They went over another bump in the road and Claire, petite as she was, was thrown into the air.

"AIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" she squealed, landing back on the seat. "I will never get used to that."

The girls were sitting in the way back of the bus, which was the only way the five of them could sit together. But this made it a very bumpy ride, and Claire was constantly being thrown into the air.

Poor, poor girls. But they'll be in LA soon…

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Finally, the grey airport came into view. Stars twinkled in the dark navy blue sky, but it was still warm out, so none of the girls bothered with jackets as they slid out of the bus and waited for their Louis Vuitton (in Claire's case, TokiDoki) suitcases to come out. When they did, Massie was pleased to find that the crowd parted for them, thinking them to be celebrities.

But her good mood quickly dissolved when she heard a group of sixteen-year-olds whisper, "That's Claire Lyons! She was in Dial L For Loser. She's _so_ cool."

Then she heard a group of guys whispering, "Man, there are those girls from the Daily Grind. I watched that every morning for _them_."

And the happy mood promptly returned.

The girls at the baggage check-in hurriedly finished and the people who were next let them go, seeming to recognize Claire, Massie, and Alicia as mini-celebrities. Dylan was a little miffed that they didn't recognize her; she'd been on her mother's show many times, as a model, co-host, or a guest. Enough times to have her name remembered, she thought.

They shoved their luggage onto the scale and paid the overweight fees. But when she saw her ticket, Massie frowned.

The girls had been placed in the back of the plane, right near the bathrooms. Ew!

"Excuse me, miss?" Massie smiled innocently, blinking her huge eyes. She used her cutest voice, knowing full well that this was the face that always made her stern father cave. "We've been separated."

"Who is 'we'?" The bored-looking girl behind the counter frowned at her.

"We are Kristen Gregory, Dylan Marvil, Alicia Rivera, Claire Lyons and me, Massie Block. We're best friends, and Claire is a little prone to loneliness. You separated her from us," Massie explained, hoping she'd recognize the names. "In fact, you separated us all."

"Uh-huh," the girl said. "What reason is there for me to move you?"

"Because," Massie said, growing irritated. She slapped a hundred dollar bill on the counter, eyes narrowed. "My friend has one hundred reasons why you should move us to first class so we can be together."

"Fine," she snapped. She took the hundred dollar bill, and soon the girls were seated in the very front of the plane.

"See, Kuh-laire?" Massie smirked as she collected the freshly printed tickets. "Good things come out of bribery."

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"Hey," Massie said, handing the man the tickets. She sighed impatiently, tapping one Ed Hardy ballet flat-covered foot against the cheap carpet of the plane's floor.

He studied them before saying, "My God, where did you get these?"

"We bought them," Massie said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, these tickets say work class," he said.

"Work class? We asked for the best," Massie sniffed, disgusted.

"Then you got it," he said, escorting her towards the front of the plane. "Come, this way, Miss."

Much to her surprise, she was led past the cramped seats of the Business Class, past the spacious seats of First Class, and into a new room filled with big bubble chairs. It looked more like an all-white club than it did a cabin in an airplane.

"The Work Class, Miss," he said, tipping his ridiculous hat at her and slipping away.

"Wow," Massie said, and dropped her stuff down on the ground. "This is cool."

"I've seen better," Alicia said. "At a hotel."

"No kidding. This is like the private jet, times ten," Claire agreed.

"Oh, shut up," Kristen said, her aqua eyes narrowed. "I didn't get to go that time, either."

"Well, you're here now," Massie said. She sank into one of the big, cushy chairs and smiled. "Enjoy."

Promptly, she began to flip through a _Seventeen_ magazine.

Claire sat down in a bubble chair near a window, her big blue eyes even wider as she watched the runway speed by. "Oh, my God, the plane is going fast."

"Yes, Kuh-laire, we've gotta go fast to take off," Massie said. "Would you rather we go slow and crash?"

Claire gulped. "No."

"Okay, then."

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"Juice, Miss?" The slim flight attendant asked Massie. She thought for a moment.

"Sure. Guava juice, if you have it."

"Of course. Anyone else?" The woman smiled, her over-bleached smile blinding.

"Uh. Do you have that syrup that they use to make Shirley Temples?" Claire smiled.

"Sure. Do you want soda to mix that with?"

"No, thanks," Claire smiled. "My Florida friends got me into drinking that syrup straight."

Alicia gave her a weird look before ordering a Sprite. Kristen ordered an orange juice, and Dylan asked for a Diet Coke.

"Kuh-laire your Florida friends need new habits," Massie said, before she took a bite of her last Luna bar. "Drinking that syrup stuff straight is so bad for your skin."

"But it tastes so good," Claire insisted.

"But acne is like, social suicide!" Alicia argued.

"It's so good," Claire said, accepting her glass from the flight attendant.

"But…your skin…you're gonna get acne! Acne makes you an automatic four, you know," Massie said.

Claire locked eyes with the brunette as she took a long sip of the syrup.

Massie sniffed. "Who taught you to be so rude?"

Claire grinned at her friend, because, for once, she had a good response.

"You."

**A/N: Wow. Massie just got pwnt. More pwnt than PC when D-chan whipped out her pink silly string. (Heh. "There's evidence of your pwning on the ground, a full week later!") Oh, yeah, and NBB- 2062 words. Seven pages. This makes up for the short chaps I keep putting up.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hey, everyone! Here's chap 14 of my FF, THE NEXT DAY! (NBB- no yelling at me for not updating!)**

**Oh, yeah, and I have major writer's block on "Pretties" so don't check that too often… :(**

**Well, R & R!**

Massie stepped off of the plane, followed by the rest of TPC and the eighth grade class of BOCD, directly onto the plane's runway. The wind blew lightly, lifting the girls' hair. Massie glanced back, disguising it as a hair flip, to see what was going on behind her.

The boys were punching each other, having seen her look. Most of them were turning pink. The couture-clad girls were whispering jealously, rolling their eyes and laughing. Almost everyone's eyes were on her and TPC.

And that was how she liked it.

Soon, they were sitting delicately on the icky plastic airport chairs or leaning against cool glass windows waiting for their luggage. Massie had talked some boys into getting their bags for them, and now they were just sitting there and waiting, like the perfect little alphas everyone knew they were.

"Here ya go," mumbled one acne-faced guy. He handed Massie her Louis Vuitton trunks.

"Thanks…" Massie trailed off, fighting the urge to call him Pizza Face. How second grade would _that_ be?

He ambled off, and she and TPC burst out laughing.

"Has anyone ever seen him before?" Alicia asked. "'Cause I never have."

"No," Kristen said, cackling.

"Never," Claire and Dylan chorused.

Massie was laughing too hard to reply, so she just shook her head.

"Okay," Kristen said once they'd recovered. "Here comes LBR number two with my stuff."

Soon enough, all the girls had their bags and they were walking towards the bus, with an LBR behind them, wheeling their luggage in a big metal cart. They boarded the bus before everyone else, pleased to find a much nicer one here instead of the standard yellow school bus.

It had a navy exterior with TVs above a seat, every four rows. The windows were big and had tinted glass, there were headphones in the pouch on the back of each seat, probably to hear the TVs. The floors were covered in navy blue carpet, the walls in blue splashed with white starbursts. Mickey Mouse silhouettes were embroidered into the head of each seat.

Massie and the girls immediately went for the back, so they could sit together. Claire sat next to the window with Kristen on her other side. Next to Kristen, Massie was there. She sat with Alicia next to her on the other side. Dylan was on Alicia's other side.

When the other eighth graders filed in, the first thing they saw was TPC. Massie was filing her nails, Alicia was tapping at the screen of her new Envy **(A/N: the phone. Massie bought it for her, and Kristen got the Sidekick.)** texting someone, Kristen had her face buried in _Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry_, Dylan was inspecting the nutrition facts on a Zone diet meal, and Claire was chatting with her agent, telling her she was in California for a few weeks and therefore available for some acting jobs.

Altogether, they made an impressive group.

So the LBRs fell into respectful silence, and the pop divas even turned down the music blaring from their portable speakers. The math geeks stopped debating the true value of pi, and the nerdy chorus girls stopped rehearsal.

And that's the power of TPC!

Massie sighed in irritation as she put away her nail file and pulled out her iPhone. The girl immediately stopped what they had been doing and pulled out their phones.

Claire had her gold Razr, Kristen had Alicia's old Sidekick, Dylan had a mint green Chocolate, Alicia had the Envy, and Massie had her iPhone. The girls were typing away furiously.

MASSIE: Tell them 2 keep watching. We might do a trick!

ALICIA: Lol. I know, theyre so weird!

KRISTEN: Lol

DYLAN: Rofl

CLAIRE: Aw ur mean!

MASSIE: Um, duh?

MASSIE: So, wat r we gonna do 1st?

ALICIA: Shop.

CLAIRE: Maybe we should stick with the class?

MASSIE: Ur insane.

CLAIRE: We're going 2 Disney Land. Sounds fun.

MASSIE: Disney?

ALICIA: Ew.

CLAIRE: But thers celebs ther 2day. HM concert.

MASSIE: Wow. Disney people!

CLAIRE: And real paparazzi.

ALICIA: Point!

KRISTEN: Cool

DYLAN: Um I get enuff of that…daily

MASSIE: But do the shots w/ u get published? These will.

CLAIRE: Ya

ALICIA: Point!

"But it's Disney!" Massie blurted, her voice dropped to a whisper. "Do you know how weird that is?"

"Why?" Claire asked, irritated. "You went to Disney World with me and my Florida friends over the summer!"

"Because you went to Aspen with me and my family and went wherever I did! It was like payback," Massie explained. "But now? Disney is as dead to me as Burberry is to Leesh."

Alicia drew a finger across her throat.

"So, do we really have to go to Disney Land to get PC publicity?" Massie moaned, still upset.

"Yes. At clubs, there will be celebrities to talk to. At parties there will be better things to do. At Disney Land, though, the best things there are the paparazzi!" Kristen grinned, having caught on.

"Right," Dylan agreed.

Massie was secretly shocked that they were siding with Kuh-laire, but she sighed. Better to admit defeat quietly than to be taken down screaming, where the world would hear.

"Fine," she said, sighing. "I guess I see your point."

Claire blinked, surprised. "Yeah? Cool."

"Yeah. So, I guess we're going to see The Mouse," Massie said, arching one eyebrow. She said it like the words were capitalized, much to Claire's amusement.

Claire grinned. "Yeah. I guess we are."

**A/N: Wow. Claire making decisions for TPC? Instead of Massie? Double wow.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Well, this chap has some of the Gossip Girl stuff. You know, like how (in the books) they have the normal paragraph, and then Gossip Girl says something? Yeah. Well, Gossip Girl is narrating again. In my FF. And Massie's rollercoaster experience is based off of mine, except I didn't have a stalker cam on the ride. Heh.**

Massie glared at the back of Claire's head. Why, why, why?

"Kuh-laire, I swear to Gawd-" she began, amber eyes flashing.

"Chill, Mass," Claire said, twisting around in her seat. "This isn't that evil. We don't even go upside down, you wimp."

Massie opened her mouth to deny her fear (more like morbid thoughts, but no fear!), but then the ground dropped out from under her. The girls were screaming, laughing hysterically, although Massie had no idea why.

"I! HATE! YOU!" Massie screamed, as she continued to fall. Abruptly, they were headed upward again, but Massie wasn't happy at all. Another rise meant another fall.

In more ways than one, M.

Claire cackled as the roller coaster car sped downhill again. She laughed hysterically. This was nothing. Absolutely nothing to her. She'd grown up around Walt Disney world, so she'd been on roller coaters ever since she was about eight and met the height requirements.

Too bad Massie was almost dying behind her. Massie had considered roller coasters to be childish and immature, for babies only. So today, Claire had dragged on TPC, and all were enjoying themselves, except for Massie, who seemed ready to jump off.

Talk about a smart idea!

After they got off, a dizzy Massie was laughing and agreeing, "Oh, yeah, that was nothing."

"Really? Then explain these." Claire pointed at the small TV screens, which displayed the pictures taken on various points of the ride, which customers could buy. Then, right on the TV that was in the middle, a picture of Massie showed up. She was clutching the bar, eyes squished shut, and her mouth was open and screaming. Another showed her dripping wet, eye enormous and mouth open in shock. There was another, with her glaring at the back of Claire's head, dripping wet and pulling her hair into a high ponytail.

Trés flattering, M.

Massie's jaw dropped, but she quickly snapped her mouth shut. "Kuh-laire, that's horrible. Why didn't you warn me?"

"Now what fun would that be?" Claire giggled, trying not to give in to full-blown laughter that would make Massie truly angry.

"Whatevs. Let's get back to the hotel, I wanna change." Massie frowned as she pulled her soaking wet white Ella Moss tank top away from her skin.

"Yeah. I think there's a sushi buffet there too," Dylan said, tugging on the ends of her dripping hair.

"Oh," Alicia said, softly, and hopefully.

"Well? Let's go. The dripping isn't good for my camera," Kristen complained. She was holding her pink digital Elph away from her, so as not to soak it.

So they headed back to the hotel, and changed. Massie emerged in a teal t-shirt and denim capris, with Alicia's black platform flip flops on her feet. Kristen had side-braided her hair and was wearing a black tank top and denim shorts, with a pink Juicy hoodie. Alicia wore a navy Ralph Lauren t-shirtdress with a simple hood. She'd paired it with black knee-length leggings that had lace at the bottom, and silver ballet flats. Dylan wore a white pleated tennis skirt and a blue Lacoste polo. Claire was wearing a pink Hollister t-shirt and denim short-shorts.

Quickly they snapped the lights off and locked up the room, walking down the hall to the sushi restraunt. When they got there, they were seated immediately, having presented their BOCD id cards. It was part of the trip: pri over all other guests. **(A/n: "pri" means "priority" for those of us who don't know.)**

Soon, they had left their designer purses at the table and were in line. Or rather, they were cutting into the line. And it didn't matter how much the others complained, because (while his wasn't covered by the BOCD pri) Massie and TPC had pri over everyone. They didn't need ID cards to prove it.

How nice, ladies. Working what you're soon to lose…

Massie watched with distaste as Claire loaded her plate with sushi, lobster omelets, crab quesodillas, shrimp cocktails, and many other fat-filled non-carb-free dishes.

"Kuh-laire," Massie said, her tone hushed. "You're eating like Dylan!"

Claire slowly stopped shoveling crab legs onto her plate. "Am not!"

"You're right," Massie hissed. "You're worse! Even Dylan managed to only grab fat-free stuff! You've drenched everything in _butter_!"

"Is there something wrong with that? I enjoy carbs," Claire mumbled.

Massie looked horrified. "That's disgusting!" she growled. "At least limit yourself on how many carbs, or make sure they're healthy!"

Healthy carbs? Right.

Claire poured melted butter into a clear glass bowl. "But I though vacations were for letting go," she teased, laughing a little at Massie's mortified expression.

"No," Massie said. "Vacations are for tanning and dieting, so we come back better and skinnier than when we left, so we can eat normally when everyone sees us, and have them wonder how we're so skinny!"

Massie paused for breath, then became a little red. Had she just explained part of the unspoken rules of popularity to…Kuh-laire?

Angrily, she stomped off to the cash register, where she paid for her ten-dollar meal with a crisp fifty and marched back to the table with only a few tuna rolls on her plate.

Seconds later, she stomped back to pour herself a glass of orange juice (one dollar per glass) and slapped a five dollar bill on the counter before stalking away yet again.

Dramatic exit ruined!

Dylan, Alicia, Kristen, and Claire stared after their alpha. Alicia pressed a fifty into Dylan's hand, said she'd be right back, and instructed Dylan to get her a lobster tail. Then she dashed after Massie, sitting down gracefully to reason with the angered alpha.

Claire watched this in silence, wondering why exactly Massie had gotten so mad over nothing at all.

000000

Blair sighed as she watched Massie stomp around the café, giggling when she had to stomp back to grab some forgotten item. She watched the beta scramble back to soothe the girl.

Quickly, Blair whipped out her iPhone and began typing away, irritated. She logged onto then began to type an email.

_Dear GG,_

_Hey. Its B here, and I have gossip! M and A are sitting close together at a table together…alone…sans dates! Or are they together? Whatever, just thought that looked rather juicy…_

_XOXO,_

_B_

She sighed and sent the wicked email. It was mostly true… Massie and Alicia were at the table alone. But Blair knew the other three were emerging from the long line at any minute, so it was impossible that they're on a date. But still, if she hadn't known that the others were there, she might have been suspicious. Really suspicious. So, she took a few pictures and uploaded them. Quickly, before her conscience could catch up with her, she typed a second email:

_Dear GG,_

_B again. I am sending pics of proof, because I know, it sounds absolutely crazy that the popular girls here are lesbigays. I think you would have wanted proof, so here it is…_

_XOXO,_

_B_

She attached the photos and sent them on their way, laughing darkly.

"B?" Serena looked at her friend, completely concerned, and frowned. "Um, are you okay?"

Blair glanced up. "Yeah. Sorry," she said, realizing she must have looked insane. She had been holding her phone under the table, so to her friend, it looked as though she was just laughing wickedly at…nothing. Insane? Pretty much.

"Kay," Serena said, shrugging. "So, did you see that girl in the line? She's drenched everything on her plate in butter! Gross."

Serena tipped her head towards Claire, who was paying for her fat-filled meal. She'd also grabbed a huge chunk of chocolate, like what they sell at grocery stores for melting into fondue.

"Ew!" Blair said, crinkling her nose. She used her spoon to pour caviar over her lobster omelet, then took a tiny bite. "Mmmm…"

"What's that?" Serena asked, pointing at the tiny orange fish eggs on Blair's plate.

"Caviar!"

"Isn't caviar black?"

Blair shrugged.

"Ew! Fishy!" Serena crinkled her nose. "Isn't that so gross? You're eating unborn fish on unborn chickens!"

"With already-born lobster chunks," Blair added, before saying, "And it's not nearly as gross as it sounds, honestly!"

Serena crinkled her nose and dipped a shrimp into a tiny cup of marinara sauce. "Sounds pretty nasty to me."

Blair's phone buzzed under the table.

She answered it quickly, checking her messages rapidly. Who was it? Had Nate gotten the invite already?

No. Just Gossip Girl, responding to Blair's not-so-true emails.

_Dear B,_

_Well, thanks! I'll run a quickie piece on this. It's definitely worth noting, esp. with those fab pics you sent. Let's hope you're not stalking them…Cause that would make you more "lesbigay" than they are!_

_-GG_

000000

Brett watched somewhat reluctantly as Blair typed away at her iPhone, eyes flashing wickedly. Whoever named her as "Sweetest Girl At Constance Billard" was seriously delusional.

"Hey, Brett?" Tinsley nudged her friend's foot. "Did you hear me?"

Brett shook her head, her fire-engine-red hair flying, and answered honestly, "No."

"I said, 'Can you believe that girl is pouring so much butter on her food?' It's a wonder she isn't totally chubby. And ew, butter poured onto an omelet? Ugh!" Tinsley shuddered, frowning in disgust.

Callie nodded, her tiny blonde pigtails bouncing. "That's so gross. She's gonna get so fat."

"Or she'll die of a heart attack before she can even get fat," Brett added, loyally.

Tinsley smirked. Her violet eyes scanned Claire, searching for another fault. "Oh, my God. Is she wearing Keds?"

"Ew!" Callie squealed. She wriggled her own Chanel-clad foot. "Couture or nothing, for me."

The other two nodded. "Ugh," Tinsley agreed. "Keds are so last season…no, I take that back."

The girls' eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Keds were never in. They can't be last season if they were never IN." Tinsley crinkled her nose at Claire's denim shoes one last time before standing up. The other two followed her example and they left the buffet, whispering among themselves.

000000

"So, Jenny, how much do you just love Claire?" Layne said. She walked right up to Claire, who was on her way to the table with Alicia and Dylan on one side, and Kristen on the other. Layne wedged herself, and Jenny, between Kristen and Claire. Kristen rolled her eyes and fled to stand by Dylan. "Is she not the coolest?"

"Hey, Claire," Jenny mumbled shyly. She wondered how she'd gone from carpooling with Serena and Blair last week to hanging out with Layne this week. Ugh. Would Massie and her Pretty Committee have approved of her if she'd walked in with Blair and Serena? Or would they still have whispered about her, like they had?

Trust me, they would.

Claire, oblivious to Jenny's thoughts, smiled brightly. "Oh, hey, Jenny," she said, lightly. "What's up?"

"Layne wanted to show me her 'generic' friend," Jenny said.

Layne grinned in response to Claire's dark glare. _Generic?_

"You know," Lanye said lightly. "The pretty, blonde, skinny, popular friend. Generic popular."

"Thanks," Claire mumbled and shoved past them girls. Alicia, Kristen, and Dylan scurried after her, not wanting to stand next to the LBR and the wannabe.

"What?" Layne blinked her eyes with genuine confusion. "Did I say something?"

Jenny yanked her arm free from Layne and scurried after them.

"Sellout!" Layne shouted.

Jenny's answer came back quickly:

"Freak!"

Layne chuckled. "Hate you too."

**A/N: Wow. This is weird! I have no idea what the importance of the last part was, other than to show you how Jenny thinks…and that Layne is a total moron. A bullet-proof moron. Ha! Well, you already read it, so review! You using the pretty blue button at the bottom of the screen inspires me to actually post the next chap!**

**XOXO!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: The Salir girls took a little detour (two weeks early) to go down to Florida, so they're at Disney World. If you really want to see their hotel they're staying at Disney's Animal Kingdom Logde. The sushi restraunt they're at is called Kimonos, and it's in the Swan & Dolphin hotel. The African restraunt is Boma, and it is in the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I actually ate there while I was at Disney world- the food is absolutely fantabulous! The food they eat is actually stuff that I remember getting, on the many times we went there. These are all REAL places on Disney grounds and are NOT my creations. (Well, actually, Kimonos is partly mine-I made up that it's a buffet, I actually think it's a Japanese bar, but a restraunt by day…) (That was a disclaimer, FYI.)**

**Sabine's POV**

I stared at the wall sadly. Constance was sick from going on too many roller coasters, and she'd been in the bathroom for hours. My eyes would flash to the closed door occasionally, and Reed was constantly popping up to ask her if she was all right. Constance never replied, but she was constantly groaning, which at least assured us that she was still alive.

"Constance?" Reed knocked on the door, yet again. "Are you okay?"

Constance groaned softly.

"Coming out soon?" Reed asked, her voice concerned. No matter what she was like around Noelle, I knew that she was a true friend.

Constance moaned softly, before she finally emerged. She walked over to our minifridge and pulled out a miniature bottle of water, which she drained in a single gulp. Then she turned to walk back into the bathroom, standing before the mirror and re-braiding her messy braids. Once she had secured a black elastic around each red plait, she turned to us and smiled, no evidence left on her face of how she'd spent the last hour.

"Come on," she said. "My stomach is absolutely empty, and I need food."

"Where to?" I asked, bouncing up.

"The girls are gathered at the African restraunt downstairs. I don't know what it's called, though…" Reed trailed off, her eyes staring at nothing in particular.

"Boma?" Constance asked. "I heard that place is popular."

"Yeah. Boma," Reed agreed. She picked up her bag, and pulled out her new purple iPhone. She scrolled through it for a few minutes, before grinning and selecting a song.

_There will be no rules tonight,  
if there were we'd break them all.  
This is right where we belong.  
Turn up the music!  
This is a song for all the lovers  
taking a chance for one another.  
These are the times that we'll remember_  
'_cause it's our time now.  
__Yeah, finally it's our time now._

Constance laughed and popped a stick of green gum into her mouth. The fresh scent of mint flooded the room. "I love this song."

"Me too," Reed agreed. She slung her purse over her shoulder. We slipped out of the room. I turned off the lights and we sang along to the Plain White T's as we rode down the elevator. While we waited to be seated, Constance took the phone and began to scroll through it. She selected something, and one the song was over a new song began to play.

_Well I'm not paralyzed  
but I seem to be struck by you.  
I wanna make you move  
because you're standing still.  
If your body matched what your eyes can do,  
you'll probably move right through  
me on my way to you._

"Oh!" I said, lighting up. "I actually know this one!"

"Sabine likes angry rock?" Constance asked in surprise.

"Yes," I answered. "Sabine does."

Reed laughed. Just then, a girl's head shot up.

"Hey!" Noelle called to us from her table by the windows in the back. "Reed! Constance! Frenchy! Over here!"

"Frenchy?" I repeated, crinkling my nose. But I got up and followed Constance and Reed like a good little girl. "How nice."

Reed shrugged. "Well, Noelle called me Glass-Licker for about a month, but now I'm part of Them." That was how she said it, like it was capitalized. "I guess it's just a phase. For new girls?"

I nodded. But Reed had never gotten those angry glares, and she'd never been ignored. At least, not from Noelle. She'd always said it was because she was "far too retarded" to make fun of, and Noelle always insisted that it was because "nobody gets to mess with Glass-Licker but me," but I knew better.

Noelle truly hated me.

000000

**Noelle's POV**

"Oh!" I said, brightly. "There's Reed. And…what's her name again?"

"Constance. And Sabine." Ariana supplied. She flipped her blonde waves over her shoulder and picked at her potato and bacon chowder. "And this is death and doom in a bowl."

"How so?" Kiran asked, confused.

Ariana picked up her spoon. "The chowder is basically just cream, so it's liquid obesity. The potatoes"-she pointed at one with her spoon-"are just solidified obesity re-enforcers. The salt is like dried acne. The melted butter is basically an invitation for clogged arteries. And these"-she used her spoon to jab a chunk of bacon-"are mini heart attacks."

"Wow," I said, rolling my eyes. "Dissecting food into different diseases and medical issues."

Tiara rolled her eyes as Ariana scooped up a chunk of bacon with a ripped-off piece of her sourdough bread bowl. "Oh yes. Separate each item in your soup into a disease, then eat it. Right. So, what are you drinking? Liquid cancer, or something?"

"And solidified obesity." Ariana answered. She smiled unconvincingly, before she gave up. "Forget it. I'm going to go get the fruit tarts."

"Get me some salmon." I said lazily.

"Fine," Ariana muttered before she traipsed off. I caught Reed's eye and waved her over. "Reed! Constance!" I paused for a second before deciding to use the name we'd given Sabine. "Frenchy!"

Sabine scowled. Reed shot me a thanks-a-lot glare. Constance blinked, ever the adorably confused one.

"Come over. You can sit with us!" I waved them over again, smiling brightly.

Reed pointed at us when the anorexic-looking hostess tried to stop her. Immediately, the girl dropped her arm and apologized, letting Reed, Sabine, and Constance through. The waiting crowd grumbled, but Reed glanced back at them over her shoulder and they quieted.

"Wow. She's learned quickly," Ariana noted. "She learned that glare from you."

"Fake it 'till you make it," Tiara muttered.

I laughed lightly. "Yeah. You keep tellin' yourself that, if that makes you feel better about yourself."

Tiara shrugged. "Thanks, Miss A."

"Np, Mister Z."

"Excuse me? What are you talking about?" Sabine interrupted us, having reached the table. She stood nervously as Reed dropped down next to Kiran and Constance sat delicately next to her.

We exchanged glances to see who would explain the unspoken rules governing us, thus breaking the number-one unspoken rule.

Finally, Reed cracked. "Look, Sabine, we're a sort-of sorority, right? Like a watered-down Easton?"

"Yeah…"

"So, we use Greek letters to classify each other. Noelle, who used to be head, is called Alpha. Tiara should be called Beta, but Noelle just dissed her by using Zeta, which is the lowest-ranking letter. Besides the obvious 'mister,' being called the Zeta truly tortures the most faithful Sorority girl." Reed exhaled after the long mini-speech.

Sabine sighed. "So what am I?"

"You're still a pledge. Your rank is undecided right now," Reed explained.

This was a lie. I had already decided her rank would be considerably low, but not so low that it would be an embarrassment to have her in Salir, the house I would soon rule.

Still, though, I was probably going to kill someone if I had to go to another one of Massie's overhyped "sorority" meetings. She had no control, although she liked to pretend otherwise.

"Yup," I agreed, realizing that I needed Sabine to not quit out of Salir before she could be properly initiated. Of course I would have ripped presidency away from Massie by the time we were back and ready for the private ceremony.

Easy. Simple.

Right?

So why did I get the feeling that the eyes boring into the back of my head were not just seeing me, that they were seeing _through_ me?

**A/N: The first lyrics are to "Our Time Now" by The Plain White T's and the second lyrics are to "Paralyzed" by Finger Eleven. Neither is mine, sorry. I wish! Also, gues who's watching Noelle? It's not who you think...**


End file.
